Alternate Paths
by can08writer
Summary: After Michonne leaves Woodbury and is shot by Merle, she meets Negan who saves her life. The companions find a new home in Alexandria. When another group led by the mysterious Rick Grimes becomes a threat to Alexandria, Michonne must make some hard decisions to protect her home, but certain circumstances have her second guessing who's good and who's bad.
1. Chapter 1

Michonne was alone again. She thought she'd gotten used to it. The silence, the emptiness, the void. At one point in her life, it was comforting. After she'd lost her family she'd welcomed the lack of other living beings. She didn't have anyone to ask questions that she didn't want to answer, bring up memories she wanted to forget, or bother her, quite frankly. She thought she was content with the loneliness, until she'd saved Andrea. Andrea had gotten her used to being around people again. Andrea had given her someone to care about, someone to watch out for, someone to live for besides herself. She'd never admitted it to Andrea, but she was her best friend, if not her sister. Although it was hard for the two of them surviving alone, they'd held their own, and Michonne was proud of that. But everything had changed once they got to Woodbury and Andrea became enthralled by the Governor.

Michonne could tell from the beginning that the man was evil. She couldn't explain it. She couldn't put it into words, but she just knew. She still wasn't used to talking to people again, she had been a lawyer before, but her months of solitude took a toll on her social skills. She'd tried to warn Andrea in the best way that she could, but it wasn't enough. Michonne knew that it was partly on her, but Andrea didn't understand what Michonne was telling her, and she wouldn't leave. Andrea had chosen the Governor over her, and although Michonne understood why, it hurt her deeply. She had left her friend in Woodbury, but she hoped Andrea would discover the truth before it was too late.

Michonne realized she had underestimated the Governor's evil a few miles from Woodbury, when Merle and his goons had found her. She'd taken all of them out except for Merle who managed to shoot her in the thigh before assuming she was dead. Michonne got away, but her gunshot wound was extreme. The bullet had fractured on impact and left dozens of bullet fragments in her thigh. She'd limped forward on pure stubbornness and resilience for another mile before collapsing under a tree. The pain and bleeding was intense, and not only couldn't she walk, she couldn't stand on that leg.

She thought it was the end for her. Finally. Acceptance washed over her, and she removed her katana from her back, and laid it across her body, almost as a mini memorial for herself. Her thigh was throbbing and the pain was agonizing. She could feel the blood seeping from her wounds. She hadn't slept in 4 days, not since she and Andrea had arrived at Woodbury. Her heart, her soul, and her body was exhausted. She was ready to rest. She lay flat on the ground, wondering if Andrea would even miss her. She wondered if Andrea would ever learn the truth about what happened to her. She then exhaled deeply, and lost consciousness.

Michonne startled awake to the smell of something cooking. She was confused and had no idea where she was. She sat up and tried to leap to her feet when agonizing pain stopped her in her tracks. She'd forgotten she'd been shot. Her eyes flitted around the darkness that surrounded her, looking for her katana that she knew she'd laid across her chest.

"It's over here sweetheart" a southern voice drawled. Her eyes focused in on a man a few feet away, who was cooking beans over a small fire. Alarm bells went off in Michonne's head. She could see that she was still under the same tree she'd passed out underneath, but it was now night time and she was completely helpless against this strange man.

"Don't worry, I'm just keeping it safe for you. I figured a woman who carries a four foot sword around must know how to fucking use it. And if you know how to use that thing I wanted it far away from you when you woke up". The man turned towards her and she could see he had dark brown hair with a mustache and beard that was going gray. He had deep dimples in his cheeks, and probably had looked charming at one point, but his hair was now long and wild, and he looked like he hadn't washed in weeks. He had the look of a man who was barely surviving in the wilderness. Probably exactly how she'd looked before Andrea found her.

"Sorry 'bout your pants" the man said with a shrug, and Michonne looked down and realized she had no pants on, but there was a blanket that lay over her legs. It was a slight comfort to see that she had underwear on, but that was besides the point. Her eyes narrowed and she gave the man an evil stare.

"Hey, don't get your panties in a bunch" the man replied, seeing her face. "I had to treat that wound you had. Couldn't do that with your pants on now could I? I mean, I have to admit I appreciate a woman with a grade A ass, and you have one for sure, but I behaved. I prefer my women conscious if you know what I mean."

"Where are my pants?" Michonne asked angrily.

"So you do speak! I was wondering. Your pants are in your bag, but I wouldn't suggest trying to put them back on any time soon. That wound must hurt like a motherfucker, and I imagine putting fabric on top of it won't help."

Michonne sighed deeply when she realized the man was right. She reached for her bag anyway, just to make sure her jeans were in there, and also to search for her knife that she had hidden inside. It was gone.

"Uh… you looking for this?" the man asked, holding up her knife. Michonne almost groaned in frustration. "Yea, I wasn't giving you access to this either. Relax, I saved you. If it wasn't for me you probably would've bled out. You lost a lot of blood already, you won't be up and around for a while. I gotta admit, when I found you I was considering if I should help you or just let you die, but when I saw you were smoking hot, that just helped your case. Plus, I have to know the story behind Samurai Woman. You basically laid your sword across your chest like you were giving yourself a fucking viking funeral. That was dramatic as fuck! You were just too fucking intriguing for me to pass by."

Michonne continued to stare at the man, her face unreadable.

"What's your name?" the man asked, stirring the beans that had begun to boil. When silence continued, he glanced back at Michonne.

"Damn, you always this quiet? Or are you dying on me?"

Michonne tried to shift the position she was sitting in, but it sent a sharp jab of pain through her leg and up her spine, causing her to suck in a breath.

"Be careful, I don't want you to start pouring blood again like you were when I found you. Look, it seems like we're gonna be together for a little while at least. You'll need help if you wanna survive, and I'm willing to give you that help. If you don't want my assistance I have no problem packing up in the morning and going about my miserable way. I was hoping to help you in exchange for some companionship, seeing as though I'm fucking lonely as fuck out here by myself, but if your intention was to die, who am I to fucking stop you? Just know that'd be a goddamn hell of a waste."

There was another long silence.

"Michonne" Michonne muttered.

"Michelle?" the man asked.

"Michonne!" she said louder, "my name is Michonne."

The man smirked and Michonne realized that he'd heard her the first time, he just wanted her to speak louder. She rolled her eyes in frustration. "Well nice to meet you Michonne" the man said as he poured beans into a bowl and brought it over. Handing the bowl to her he said "I'm Negan."

***can08writer***

After that day, Michonne and Negan had spent months together surviving, just the two of them. The first few days she couldn't walk at all, and he all but carried her to a house that they held up in until she could limp. After a few weeks her limp went away and they could travel faster. She figured he would want to leave once he saw that she was healed and she didn't need him anymore, but she was dismayed to realize she didn't want him to leave.

No one had really looked out for Michonne her entire life. Everyone from her family to her friends, to Andrea, assumed she was strong and didn't need any help. Because of this, it'd never occurred to her to ask for help from anyone, but the week she couldn't walk, Negan took care of her with nothing in return but her silence. He never complained, which made her think he couldn't be all that bad. He'd helped her get out of bed, get dressed, walk, but she never felt that he thought she was helpless, or a damsel in distress, and she appreciated that.

When it came down to it, if he hadn't found her, or if he'd decided to keep walking, she would've died. Either a walker would've found her, or she would've bled to death. She owed him companionship at the very least.

As annoying as he could be, he was also charming and funny. After everything that happened with Andrea, after being helpless and shot, she finally realized that she needed people. She knew she could survive alone if she had to, but she didn't _want_ to. The revelation was scary. Life was easier when she didn't need people, when she didn't rely on people. Luckily, he didn't want to be alone either, and they resigned to stick together.

They had grown closer through the months, sharing everything they had, protecting each other, helping the other when they were sick, tired, or hungry. They'd spoken about shallow things, nothing too deep. The weather, where they were heading before they met, and theories about the walkers and what caused the virus. She knew he'd wanted to know who'd shot her, but she didn't want to bring up those painful memories. She just wanted to forget.

They didn't have a particular direction that they were going in, but somehow they found themselves in Virginia, and then they found the town of Alexandria, a virtual paradise. When they'd arrived, both of them were dirty, practically starving, and vicious. The Alexandrians let them in because they knew that the town needed people who were knowledgeable about handling walkers, and other people, but they still looked down on the pair as if they were wild animals. The reaction of the Alexandrians caused Negan and Michonne to bond together even more closely when they made it to the confines of the town. The first few weeks it was unspoken that they'd live in the same house, seeing as though they only knew each other. They were so used to sleeping in the same room if not the same bed, they didn't think twice of their shared housing arrangements.

Once they got their jobs and settled in somewhat, Michonne noticed the women of Alexandria looking at Negan thirstily. It didn't bother her at first, it was more annoying than anything. Once Negan had shaved she realized he was a handsome man, so who wouldn't look at him like that? But the looks of adoration towards Negan from the women was mirrored with looks of adoration towards Michonne from the men. Negan wasn't as accepting of the men's advances towards her, and although Michonne assured him the looks were harmless, Negan was still in the same beast mode he was in when they were out on the road. He didn't want other men looking at Michonne, and he would defend her to the death.

They'd never spoken of any kind of relationship between them. Michonne never had reason to think there was one besides companionship while they were on the road. The basic necessities trumped any other need. It was hard to think about relationship labels and romance when you hadn't had a drink of water in two days. But the semblance of society in Alexandria forced them to evaluate what they were, and where they stood. And it all came to a head when an already married man, Pete, wanted Michonne's attention.

Michonne, who was a co-constable of the town with Negan, was on patrol when Pete, the town's doctor called her over. The urgency in which he called her made her concerned that something was wrong, but as soon as she got close enough, he'd cornered her against the side of a house. His large body blocked any exits, although he hadn't touched her. He'd asked her for a date, and appalled, she'd reminded him that he was married with two sons. He then lost his temper, telling Michonne she was ungrateful because the town had taken her in, and she owed them. He called her unreasonable for not accepting his advances, and a flirt, saying that she constantly wore tight clothing that grabbed the attention of all the men, not just him.

Although Pete's words and accusations pissed Michonne off, he hadn't touched her, and so she tried to end the argument peacefully. For some reason Pete, seeing that Michonne was trying to calm him down and be reasonable with him got more angry, eventually grabbing her wrist to drag her somewhere. Michonne had stomped on his foot and elbowed Pete in the nose, causing him to let go, but Negan had heard the scuffle. He'd raced over and tackled Pete, beating him to a bloody pulp. Everyone, including Michonne, had screamed at Negan to stop, but he continued pummeling an unconscious Pete until Michonne hit him in the head, knocking him unconscious.

***can08writer***

"Next time just do me a favor and cut my whole fucking head off. That would be more humane", Negan groaned after he regained consciousness in his cell.

"Well, you left me no choice" Michonne said from her seat across the room from where Negan lay on a mattress on the floor.

"Some would say I was doing the right thing. Defending you and all" Negan said as he pushed himself upright. The sudden change in position made his head spin.

"I didn't need your defending" Michonne replied, pushing her chair closer to Negan's mattress.

"Yea, I kinda see that now" Negan said with a smirk. "But that asshole got what he deserved. He really had some nerve putting his hands on you."

"Does that warrant a death sentence?" Michonne asked, tilting her head to the side and widening her eyes. Negan could tell she was amused.

"If he's putting his hands on you, hell yea. I would've killed that bastard, Michonne. If he touches you again for any reason it's over for him. No one touches you-"

"Why?" Michonne asked, cutting off Negan's train of thought.

"What?"

"Why don't you want anyone to touch me?"

"Pete is a fucking married man Michonne! And I heard he beats the shit out of-"

"I'm not talking about Pete" Michonne said, leaning towards Negan. "I'm talking about you. Why don't you want anyone to touch me?"

Negan looked at Michonne's eyes, but then his eyes moved down to her lips, then her breasts, and then back up to her eyes. He had been staring at her like that for a while, almost since she'd met him, but they'd never acted upon anything. Not that she thought he would hesitate for a second if she'd initiated any kind of contact, but their lives had always been about survival day in and day out. Michonne had never allowed any thoughts of romance to distract her, but she could tell from the way Negan looked at her, that he wanted her.

"I shouldn't've said _anyone_ " Negan said with a smirk. "I don't want _him_ touching you. Or any other of these loser men. Do you see how they stare at you Michonne? It's fucking disgusting."

"It's disgusting because they're interested in me?"

"No, it's disgusting because they're not worthy of you."

Michonne stared at Negan with amusement. "What about the women who follow you around like puppy dogs. Are _they_ worthy of you?"

"Jealous?" Negan asked with a wink.

"Not really" Michonne said dismissively. Negan's face dropped.

"Why the fuck not?" Negan asked like an impetuous child.

"Because I know you don't want them. Even if you sleep with them, you won't really be satisfied."

"You think you know me?" Negan asked with an amused smirk.

"Yea I know I do"

"Then tell me, who do I really want?" Negan asked, his eyes testing Michonne.

Just then, a knock on the door from Aaron ended their conversation, and Michonne found a reason to leave the room, to Negan's dismay.

Days later, the fight between Negan and Pete had died down. Pete had been put on house arrest, and Negan had been suspended from constable duties for an undetermined amount of time. One day, as Michonne was doing rounds, she heard the sound of pots crashing to the floor in the Anderson house, and a scream that was cut off suddenly. Michonne took off running towards the house, leaping on to the porch and banging on the door. No one answered, but she could hear more crashes and then Ron, Pete's son yelled "dad, stop it!"

Michonne kicked at the locked door, realizing something serious was happening, but the door wouldn't budge. As a last resort, she unsheathed her katana and slammed it down on the door handle, knocking it off and allowing the door to swing open. She ran into the house and was shocked to see Jessie, Pete's wife, lying unconscious on the kitchen floor with a wound to her head. Ron, Pete's son, was trying to hold his father back as the man angrily stormed around the kitchen, knocking pots and pans off the shelves like a wild animal. Sam, Pete's youngest son, was desperately trying to shake his bleeding mother awake.

"Stop! Stop right there!" Michonne yelled, raising her katana at the man.

Pete swung around and faced her with fury in his eyes.

"What the hell are you doing in my house? Get the fuck out of here!" he screamed, directing his drunken fury at Michonne.

"I'll get out of here when you come with me out on the porch" Michonne said calmly. Her eyes quickly flitted down to Jessie and to her relief she saw the unconscious woman take a breath. At least she was still alive.

"I'm not going fucking anywhere with you. You put me on house arrest and I'm in my fucking house. I'm dealing with my own fucking family. Mind your business, bitch. Go home before I make you sorry you came in here." Pete's speech was slurred badly and he was obviously drunk. Ron was still holding on to his father, trying to keep him from going on another tirade and hurting someone else.

"Pete, come outside with me please. Your children are scared, and your wife needs help. You need to calm down."

"Don't tell me to fucking calm down!" Pete screamed, advancing towards Michonne. "Get out of here! You don't belong here, this is you! This is your fault!"

Michonne took a few steps back to give herself enough room to swing her katana if she had to. "Pete-" she began, but in an impressive act of coordination for a drunk he launched himself at her, running full speed. Ron was still holding on to his father's back as he barreled into Michonne, knocking her to the ground and her katana out of her hand.

"Dad stop it!" Ron yelled, but Pete threw the boy off of himself. Michonne quickly scrambled to her feet and ran for her katana, but Pete knocked it out of her hands once she was finally able to grab it.

Pete yanked the back of her hair in an effort to control her head, but Michonne grabbed both of his arms, and using every inch of body weight and leverage that she could on this larger man, she flipped him over her shoulder so that he crashed onto the ground. Michonne heard a loud pop when her shoulder popped out of the socket.

Pete was dazed for a few moments, and holding her injured shoulder, Michonne asked Ron if he had any rope to tie Pete's hands. Thinking fast, Ron ran into the living room to get the rope that held the curtains back. Michonne sat on Pete's chest, holding his arms down with her knees, but Pete recovered from his daze. He pushed Michonne's knees off of his arms and grabbed her neck, choking her. Pete was squeezing her so hard Michonne's oxygen was cut off instantly and within seconds she could see black spots in front of her eyes. Her hands instinctively went for Pete's but once she realized she wouldn't be able to pry his fingers off of her neck, she jammed her fingers into his eyes.

Pete screamed in pain and let her go, and Michonne rolled off of him, sputtering and struggling for air. She crawled a few feet away, searching for her katana or even a knife as a weapon in case he came at her again. Pete was still screaming and rolling on the floor clutching his face when footsteps tore through the house and into the kitchen. Michonne looked up fast enough to catch a blur before Pete was lifted off the floor and dragged into the living room.

"Negan-" Michonne gasped, but she couldn't say much more due to a coughing fit caused by her near asphyxiation. From the living room she heard a few more thuds, Ron scream "Dad!", and then the shattering of glass as something large was thrown through the living room window.

In a few moments Negan was back in the kitchen, kneeling next to Michonne. "Are you okay? What the fuck did he do to you? Michonne? Michonne what happened!" Negan was saying, cradling her face in his hands.

"Check Jessie, see if she's okay" Michonne said.

"Fuck Jessie, are you alright?" Negan asked, looking Michonne up and down. He put his hand on her shoulder and she screamed in pain. Startled, Negan snatched his hand back.

"What the fuck did he do!" Negan yelled.

"It's just dislocated" Michonne said angrily, "now go check on Jessie!"

Negan reluctantly got up to check the woman who was still lying unconscious on the ground, Sam looked up at Negan terrified as he checked the pulse in Jessie's neck. "She's breathin', she needs to go to the infirmary though."

"Where's Pete?" Michonne asked, struggling to her feet. She still felt a little dizzy, and her neck was in pain.

"He won't be beating anybody anymore" Negan said. "I threw his ass through the window."

***can08writer***

That night after Denise the doctor who had unwittingly taken Pete's place, had set Michonne's shoulder and taken care of Jessie, Negan escorted Michonne back to their home and helped her into bed. Her arm was in a sling, and her throat was still sore, but besides that, she was fine.

"You ain't working for a week at least, they're just gonna have to give me my job back until you're better" Negan said, as he removed Michonne's feet from her boots.

"Not gonna happen" Michonne said, her voice still raspy and hoarse.

"The fuck it's not. You're not patrolling with a slinged up arm and a neck with some motherfucker's hand prints on it."

"You telling me what I can and can't do now?" Michonne asked angrily.

"No, I'm telling you what makes goddamn sense! You got fucking beat up by a prick twice your size. You need to rest", Negan countered.

"I need to do my job" Michonne said. "You don't have to babysit me. I don't want you to, I don't need you to."

"Obviously you do, 'cuz I keep having to fucking save you!" Negan shot back.

"Fuck you Negan. I never asked you to save me, the first time or this time."

"What, you expect me to just let you die?" Negan shouted, in disbelief of how stubborn Michonne was being.

"Yes. I don't need a babysitter!" Michonne shouted back. "I don't need anyone. I survived by myself long before you, and I…"

"Stop trying to die!"

"Why?" Michonne hollered back, indignant that he was trying to boss her around. "Why do you even ca-"

Her sentence was cut off when Negan pressed his lips against hers, shocking her into silence. Her eyebrows shot up, and she was caught off guard. Seeing that Michonne didn't immediately punch him, Negan took advantage of her shock to kiss her more deeply, using his lips to part her lips wider. His kiss was tender and surprisingly soft, and he lightly nipped her upper and lower lips, and then ended with a kiss to the corner of her mouth. He moved backwards slowly, not knowing what to expect when he opened his eyes.

When he finally looked at her, Michonne was staring with her mouth parted and her eyes wide.

"I fucking care about you" Negan said. "Stop trying to die. We're in this together. You're not a lone wolf. You were before, but now you have a pack. I don't want to be a lone wolf anymore, and I know you don't either. Just rest for a fucking week Michonne. Please?"

After staring at Negan for a few tense moments, Michonne slowly tilted her head. "Did you just try to shut me up with a kiss?"

Negan gave a relieved laugh that she wasn't mad. "Did it work?" he asked, giving his most charming smiles.

"I'll stay in the house for one day. That's it" Michonne negotiated seriously.

"Fine" Negan said. There was a pause, and they looked at each other waiting for the other to speak.

"So. Was that good?" Negan asked, talking about the kiss. Michonne rolled her eyes and rested her head back against her pillow. She couldn't help but smirk at her endearing companion.

"Negan, next time you try to shut-up kiss me, I will run my katana through your chest" Michonne said jokingly.

"Must've been good if you're already thinking about next time" Negan chuckled, and he ducked out of the room before Michonne threw a pillow at him.

 _ **Author's Note:** I thought it would be interesting to explore what might've happened if Michonne had never gone to the prison, and she met Negan before she met Rick. This is more of an alternate reality, and it's so much fun playing around with the characters. I think you will enjoy some of the upcoming chapters. Negchonne has a lot of interesting details and possibilities, but I am a die hard Richonne fan, so that is my end goal. I hope you liked the first chapter. Please leave me a review!_


	2. Chapter 2

"Have a good sleep last night?" Negan asked Michonne as they walked through the deserted streets. He had been on gate duty the night before and wasn't home. The two of them were out on a day run, looking through some abandoned buildings for food. Alexandria's food supplies were steadily dwindling, and if the town didn't catch a break soon, rationing would have to be the norm.

The pair had wanted to get out from behind the town's walls, so they'd volunteered to go look for food. They weren't overly attached to Alexandria. It was a place where they could get food and a warm bed, but beyond that they preferred to be on their own. Not like the townspeople minded too much anyway. Especially since Pete had died a few hours after Negan threw him through the window.

"Not really" Michonne said emotionlessly. "I had a nightmare, woke up in tears."

Negan's head snapped towards her. "Holy shit, I was just making conversation. I didn't expect you to be depressingly honest."

Michonne shrugged and kept her eyes facing forward. "Why'd you ask if you didn't really care?"

"Shit, I didn't say all that. Yea I care. I told you, I care about you. You just caught me off guard. Shit. You wanna talk about it?" Negan asked.

Michonne shook her head and continued walking.

"Bullshit" Negan said, causing Michonne to turn back towards him. "If you didn't want me to know, you wouldn't've told me that sad shit. You used to have 'em bad when I first met you, but it seemed to go away for a while. Now they're back?"

Michonne was floored. "You knew I had nightmares?"

"Hell yea. If we lived with anyone else they'd know too. You're fucking loud as hell. I didn't tell you because I figured you couldn't change much about it."

Michonne looked away from Negan. She was embarrassed he was already aware of her nightmares.

"Fuck, you gonna go all quiet on me now?" Negan asked.

A sudden noise like the creaking of a car door caught both of their attention. Negan raised his gun, and Michonne aimed her katana in the direction of a group of cars that were the remnants of a 7 car pile-up. Negan tilted his head, signaling for Michonne to go right while he went left around the pile-up. The two of them carefully circled the cars, looking for the source of the noise. As Negan approached the side of a van, the door slid open quickly, and a wild looking long haired man jumped from the back, knocking Negan's gun out of his hand.

"Ahhhh" Negan yelled in surprise. The man quickly stepped on Negan's gun to keep it in place, and put his hands up.

"Hey! I don't mean you any harm, just relax" he said.

Michonne, unsure of if the man had spotted her or not, silently snuck closer to the duo.

"What the fuck?" Negan asked. "Give me my fucking gun."

"You'll get your gun back, when I'm sure you won't shoot me" the man said calmly, his hands still up. Negan dove for his gun and the man landed on Negan's back with the reflexes of a cat. Before Negan could fight back, the man had him in some kind of martial arts hold. He couldn't move or get out of it.

"Get the fuck off me!" Negan screamed, trying to kick the man away.

"I'm sorry. I'm not trying to hurt you. I just want to talk to whoever makes decisions in your community. You can tell your friend to stand down too. I don't want anyone to get hurt" the man said.

"What friend?" Negan asked, continuing to struggle.

"Ma'am, please don't try it. I just want to talk without a sword or a gun pointed at me" the brunette man said to Michonne, even though he wasn't facing her. Michonne froze.

Negan tried to flip the stranger off his back, causing the stranger to focus on the struggling man. Michonne used the distraction to run up behind the man and aim the katana at his neck.

With a speed that was unexpected, the long haired man dropped his hold on Negan and did a flying kick through the air, sending Michonne's sword skidding down the street.

Before Negan could grab his gun, the man tackled him again, redoing his previous hold.

"Now I'm fucking impressed!" Negan said, giving up the struggle. "You gonna kill me?"

"I told you, I don't want to kill anyone. My name is Jesus, I come from a town called the Hilltop. I just want to talk to your leader. I have a proposition for you."

***can08writer***

After talking to Jesus, Michonne and Negan agreed to go with him and some other Alexandrians to his town called the Hilltop. Once there, Jesus told them about their town's dilemma.

"We're under the control of a group called The Family. They showed up one day, made a lot of demands. They outnumbered us. They had guns, we didn't. They told us that they were going to cut a deal with us. We pay them tribute once a month, a truck full of crops, supplies, and livestock. The truck has to be full." Jesus said, rubbing his beard. "In exchange they keep our roads and woods clear of walkers. I mean, I'll admit, it's gotten a lot safer out here since they came. Walkers are few, but many of us aren't happy with the deal. We're not happy that we were forced into it."

"Who's in charge?" Michonne asked, crossing her arms.

"A guy named Rick."

"Rick?" Negan scoffed. "And how many of these fuckers are there?" Negan asked.

"We don't know, we've seen groups as large as twenty" Jesus responded.

"So you give them a truck full of food every month, and they kill Walkers for you? Who the fuck agreed to that?" Negan asked.

"Our former leader, Gregory. I heard he did or said something to piss off their leader, Rick. Rick was gonna kill Gregory, but instead Gregory agreed to the deal with them."

"Former leader?" Michonne asked.

"Yea, there was an incident with Gregory. He was a real scumbag, tried to drug a young girl but he got caught before anything serious went down. But uh, he was executed."

"Deserved it, the nasty prick" Negan said, shaking his head.

"So, did anyone try to end the deal once Gregory was executed?" Michonne asked, sitting down in a plush chair and crossing her legs while the men stood.

"Well yea, during the last pick-up Rick himself came along. I asked him if we could end everything, and each of our groups could go about their own way, but Rick wouldn't hear it. He said his people needed the supplies, and our people benefitted from the Walker removal. He wasn't taking no for an answer. He's a little bit of a scary man."

"You couldn't karate kick the motherfucker?" Negan asked.

"Did I mention they had a lot of guns?" Jesus responded.

"So what do you need us for?" Michonne asked.

"We need an alliance. The Family has lots of people from what we've seen, lots of guns and people who know how to use it. We don't have that. We don't have many people who know how to fight. But if we have allies and a united front against them, maybe we can convince them to leave us alone. Maybe this Rick guy will get the message if Alexandria is on our side."

"Nah, fuck that" Negan said as he paced across the room. "I have a new deal for you. This prick Rick won't listen to you if you _ask_ him to leave you alone. He's a threat. And the only way to deal with threats is to fucking destroy them. Our town needs food, you got it. We're gonna kill off Rick and The Family together. Every last one. In return, your town hooks us up. Starting today. We want food and medicine."

"What do _we_ get out of that deal?" Jesus asked, tilting his head.

"You get rid of your enemy, you gain an ally, and we will train your people how to fight. In a few months, when we figure out something to manufacture, we can even start trade with your town. We don't have much now, but we'll find something to trade" Negan said.

"You sure we can do this? Kill them all?" Jesus asked skeptically.

"Confrontation is something we've never had a problem with" Michonne said, her hand resting on the katana in her lap. She looked over at Negan and he gave her a confident wink.

"Those motherfuckers are good as dead" he proclaimed.

***can08writer***

A half hour later, Alexandria was given the supplies they'd asked for. While the residents of Hilltop and Alexandria loaded the RV up with the supplies that Jesus' people were providing for them, Negan gestured for Michonne to meet him around the back of the RV where they could talk.

"You up for this?" Negan asked Michonne, bending down slightly so he could stare into her eyes. She had been awfully quiet since they made the deal. Not that she was a big talker by any stretch of the imagination, but he had an inkling that something was bothering her. He could always tell by looking in her eyes.

Michonne shifted uncomfortably and finally brought her eyes up to meet Negan's.

"It's gonna be a fight. I don't think these people will go down easy. I don't think we have enough information about them. You know I don't like walking into a situation blind."

"I know" Negan confirmed, "but you also know who we are. We are fucking _savages_ , Michonne. You think some prick named Rick is going to beat _us_? Whatever he throws at us, we can handle it. _I_ can handle it, 'cuz I got you with me. We'll win." Negan said.

Michonne nodded slowly and a brief smile crested on her lips. "We'll win" she repeated.

***can08writer***

It was the night before Alexandria and the Hilltop were scheduled to find and take out Rick and The Family. They had a rough idea where this man and his people were hiding out, a radio station where people from the Hilltop had dropped off supplies before. They had to estimate the interior of the building based on speculation, and the few pieces of information that people from the Hilltop could give. How many people were inside and where they were was unknown. The weapons they were dealing with were unknown. Most of the variables were unknown, and it didn't sit well with Michonne.

She was lying in bed on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Negan was snoring softly beside her, his back to her. It had taken her a while to get used to sleeping next to a man again. When she was on the road with Andrea, the two of them would lay their sleeping bags together for warmth during the winter, or sometimes take turns being the big spoon or little spoon to make sure that they didn't freeze to death in the cold buildings where they'd take shelter for the night, but that wasn't the same. There was something different about lying next to a man, and in the beginning, too often she'd wake up almost in a panic when his large muscular arm would hold on to her while he slept. But now, she was used to it. She was used to him.

She wasn't ready to admit it, but she found comfort in being with him. In knowing that someone would be there when she woke up, that someone would notice if she disappeared, that someone cared about her. She was content with that. She knew he wanted more, she could tell, but she wasn't ready for a relationship. She was damaged. At least that's what she kept telling herself. She was incapable of loving anymore. The trauma in her life had broken that part of her, and it would never be healed. Negan seemed resigned to take the scraps of her that she gave to him, and she was thankful for that at least.

Slowly she climbed from the bed, trying to prevent it from squeaking. She made her way to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water, still amazed that she had a full glass of water to herself whenever she wanted it. She sat on a stool in the kitchen and drank her water quietly. When she was done, she stayed still and listened to the sounds of the night as they infiltrated her's and Negan's house. Usually the sounds of crickets chirping and owls hooting was comforting and made her feel safe, but this time a sense of dread settled in her stomach.

If the attack the next day was going to be simple, why was she still awake? Why couldn't she shake the feeling that they shouldn't be doing this?

***can08writer***

"All clear" Negan barked into the walkie talkie.

They had just finished annihilating everyone inside of the radio station. There had been 25 people inside, and the team from Hilltop and Alexandria had taken them completely by surprise. There were a few gunshot grazes and black-and-blues from one on one fights, but no one from Hilltop or Alexandria was killed. Michonne couldn't believe their luck. She couldn't believe it worked. But something was still bothering her.

Jesus had seen Rick before, and he didn't identify him as any of the bodies. Rick wasn't here, and that was going to be a problem.

"Maybe he went on a run. He may be back soon. We need to clear our cars away so we don't tip him off that anything went down. We'll ambush whoever shows up" Negan said into the walkie talkie, to keep all of the teams informed.

Michonne nodded at his words, barely listening. That same feeling of dread was back.

Jesus, Aaron, and Eric came from around a corner. "We'll start moving the cars around back" Aaron said, "the look outs haven't spotted anything. We'll radio in every 15 minutes to let you know what's going on outside."

Negan nodded and the men set off to their task. Negan and Michonne took the opportunity to explore Rick's compound. They went from room to room, looking for anything helpful to learn more about The Family.

While they were searching one of the bedrooms, Michonne found a polaroid picture of a couple. An asian man, probably Korean, was standing behind a white woman with brown hair and green eyes. Both of their hands were placed on her slightly rounded belly. The couple was smiling from ear to ear as they stared at the camera. ' _They seem happy'_ Michonne thought. She wondered if the couple was out on the run with Rick, or somewhere else. No one in their operation had reported shooting a pregnant woman.

She and Negan found more supplies, ammo, and a stockpile of food while searching the compound. The spoils would be divided up between Alexandria and the Hilltop. Everyone would be eating well for at least a few more weeks.

Suddenly, a voice came over Negan's radio, interspersed with static. " _Negan… there are… approaching... OUT OF THERE!"_

Michonne's heart sank. "What?" Negan yelled into the radio, "what's going on?"

The radio crackled again, and Michonne recognized Jesus' voice with gunfire in the background. " _GET OUT OF…_ " the transmission abruptly cut off. The two of them now could hear the gunfire that had been echoing over the radio.

"Let's go!" Michonne yelled. The two of them sprinted through the maze-like hallways of the radio station, other teams joining them, until they reached the entrance. They cocked their weapons and could hear car engines and gunfire.

"We have to get to our cars" Michonne said, "Jesus, Aaron, and Eric moved them to the loading dock out back. We'll have to run around the building. Stay in the shadows."

"They could have this place surrounded!" a man from Hilltop said, "we could be sitting ducks."

"If we stay here and let them box us in we _will_ be sitting ducks" Michonne barked back.

"We're going" Negan confirmed. "Have your weapons ready, run for the cars."

Negan swung the door open and they took off around the building into the dark night, the rest of the team close on their heels.

As they sprinted past a dumpster, Michonne heard her name being called. She spun around to see Jesus, Aaron and Eric hiding behind it, gesturing for the group to join them.

"Negan, wait!" Michonne called to him since he hadn't heard the warning and had continued to run for the cars. He skidded to a stop 30 feet away from the nearest car, and turned back to look at her, when there was a bright flash and then a loud bang and the car exploded behind him, showering glass and shrapnel on everyone. Everyone hit the deck, shielding themselves against the rain of debris. A trail of smoke billowed in a horizontal line coming from an area in the woods nearby.

"That was a fucking RPG!" Negan yelled in shock. "They have fucking RPG's?"

"Get over here!" Aaron yelled, waving the group behind the dumpster with them. When the group of ten crowded behind the dumpster, Aaron said "There's some of them in those bushes over there, and they've totally surrounded the front of the building, they took out our lookouts, that's why we couldn't warn you in time. I don't know where everyone else is. As far as we know, we're the only ones left."

"Our best bet is running across the parking lot and straight into the woods. I don't know if they've gotten over there yet, but it's the only option we have if you don't want to get blown up" Jesus threw in.

The group nodded and on a count of three they took off in the direction that Aaron had mentioned. They were out in the open as they ran across the parking lot. They could hear bullets hitting the pavement behind them, but they continued onwards full speed, knowing they could be hit at any moment. Once they reached the woods they moved as quickly as they could, skirting trees and bushes that threatened to tangle them. They'd run for a few minutes and could no longer hear gunfire or any signs that The Family was near.

"I think… I think we got away" Eric said, short of breath.

"They'll come looking for us" Aaron said, "after what we did they're gonna search for us."

"We gotta keep going" Michonne said, "C'mon!"

They continued to run through the blackened forest. Luckily the moon was out, giving them a small amount of light to run by.

"I think there's a road up ahead" Jesus said, pointing to where the trees seemed to thin out. "I think this is the back road we saw on the map when we were scoping the place out. We follow that road it'll lead us back to the main highway, and we can get back to Hilltop from there."

"Okay, stay quiet" Negan commanded, "these fuckers are out here somewhere."

They quietly approached the road and noticed a few scattered cars. "Maybe we can jump one of these" Michonne whispered. Across the road they could hear the loud moans of walkers approaching them. Probably drawn from the gunshots and explosion at the radio station.

"I got it" Michonne whispered. She unsheathed her katana and cautiously crossed the road. A walker lazily swiped an arm at her and she promptly decapitated it. Another one approached and she plunged her katana through it's cranium creating a sickening pop. Putrid liquids poured down it's forehead before it dropped to the ground.

"Try to jump the cars" Michonne called at her comrades before spinning around and decapitating a third walker. As she raised her sword to stab a fourth, the headlights on all of the abandoned cars turned on simultaneously, blinding the small group. Distracted, Michonne put her hands up to her eyes, and the walker that she'd been about to kill lunged at her. Still blind, she put both hands on it's shoulders to keep its head and snapping teeth away from her. She had to shut her eyes to protect them from the blinding light, but the walker was still going after her, its mouth inches from her face.

A loud crack suddenly tore through the night, and the walker instantly went limp. Shocked, Michonne pushed the corpse away from her and raised her katana with one hand, still shielding her eyes with another.

She squinted around, trying to figure out what was happening. She could see shapes moving in front of the headlights but she couldn't tell if it was her group or someone else. In a few moments her vision cleared, and she could make out Negan being held in a chokehold, a gun pressed to his temple. She could also see Aaron, Jesus, Eric, and the others being held at gunpoint as well.

Angry, Michonne took a step towards her friends when she heard a deep southern voice speak from behind her.

"Drop it" the voice demanded calmly, but with authority. Startled, Michonne swung around, her katana pointed at the man, while he pointed a pistol in her face. She held her sword up to defend herself, even though she knew she was outgunned. The man's blue eyes shone in the light from the cars, and Michonne stared into them, strangely thinking it'd be okay if those eyes were the last things she ever saw. The man's gaze never flinched, and neither did hers. After a few seconds of staring, Michonne slowly lowered her katana and then lightly placed it on the ground.

"Put your hands up" he ordered. Michonne slowly put her hands in the air, never breaking eye contact with him.

"Turn around. _Turn around._ " the man commanded. Michonne slowly turned away from him and the man patted her pockets and waistline, looking for any concealed weapons. Indignantly, she turned back around, glaring at him.

"Get on your knees" he directed, tilting his head to the right.

 _ **Author's note:**_ _Thank you for all your reviews, I really appreciate them and keep them coming! I just wanted to say the Negan in my story is not tv Negan. I'd like to think he's more like a mix of comic Negan, Abraham, and Shane. He is an alternate version, so if you hate tv Negan, I'm right along with you, but keep in mind he isn't the same as this Negan so bear with me. And those people who don't like Nechonne thank you for sticking around and reading this story anyway. Like I said before, I am a Richonne fan._


	3. Chapter 3

Rick had never seen a woman like her. He watched as she moved, her sword cutting through the air, cleanly slicing the head off one walker, popping open the head of another, and then sending a third head tumbling to the ground with a graceful swipe of her arm, as if she were dancing. Rick had been staring, unblinking, for at least 40 seconds when he realized his people were waiting for his signal.

He held up his hand, and the people hiding in the cars turned their headlights on simultaneously, blinding their attackers. He watched as the woman froze, and the walker she was about to kill got the jump on her. She couldn't see, and was trying to fend off the attack of the undead.

Rick pointed his gun and easily blew out the brains of the walker that had been attacking her. The woman looked stunned for a moment, but she pushed the walker off herself and kept her sword raised, shielding her eyes as she glanced around.

Rick came up behind her, his Colt Python pointed at her head. She was distracted, she didn't even see him.

"Drop it" Rick growled. He expected her to freeze, or drop her weapon, but instead she swung around taking him by surprise, her blade inches from his face. It was then that Rick got a closer glimpse of her appearance.

Her eyes were beautifully large, the most expressive things on her face, and they were even larger as they stared at him in surprise. Her brown eyes looked almost amber colored in the light. Her hair had grown intertwined into brown locs that hung down to her breasts, and were held in place and out of her face with a gray headband. Her nose was wide, and her lips were plump and full, but her skin… it was just flawless. He couldn't believe he was noticing all those things at that moment, not when these people had just attacked one of his outposts.

 _'She's the enemy Rick, focus.'_ he thought. But she was staring at him just as much as he was staring at her, her gaze never wavering, her eyes betraying the utmost focus and concentration. And to his surprise, a lack of fear. This woman was different.

Finally, she lowered her katana and laid it on the ground.

When she stood back up she faced him with her back straight and her head held high. He could tell she could take care of herself.

"Put your hands up" Rick ordered her. Her eyes were still boring into his and he swore she could see his soul. Slowly, she lifted her arms above her head.

"Turn around. _Turn around_." Rick commanded. She turned away and Rick had a second to check out her rear view, but he quickly pulled himself together.

 _'She's the enemy._ '

He patted her down roughly to see what was in her pockets. Her jeans were so tight he was pretty sure she wasn't hiding anything, but he checked anyway. When she turned back around she was glaring at him, her forehead wrinkled in rage.

"Get on your knees" he ordered, his gun still pointed in her face. The woman narrowed her eyes and stared at him defiantly for a few more seconds before sinking to her knees slowly.

Rick's people dragged and pulled the other captives forward, pushing the rest of them to their knees until they made a line in front of him, joining the woman.

Rick walked down the line, examining each of the prisoners as they stared up at him. Most of them were trembling in fear except for the woman and another large man with a salt and pepper beard and a smirk on his face. _'He looks like a prick'_ Rick thought. Rick walked back over to the woman and saw that she was still glaring at him.

"Who's in charge here?" Rick asked. His jaw was clenched so tightly that his question came out more like a growl. There was silence, and everyone on their knees just looked at him. Rick raised his gun and pointed it at one of the men.

"WHO'S IN CHARGE?!" Rick yelled.

"I- I am" Jesus said shakily.

"The fuck you are" the salt and pepper bearded man growled. "You wanna talk to someone, you talk to me", he declared to Rick.

Rick ignored the man and advanced on Jesus. "I know you" Rick said, using his gun as a finger to point in Jesus' face. "Jesus, right? You're from Hilltop. You wanted me to end the deal with that town."

Jesus looked up at Rick nervously but he didn't say more.

"You wanted to end the deal so you attacked us?" Rick asked, his voice raising. "You attacked my fucking people? My family? Do you know who you're fucking with?"

"I was trying to protect my people" Jesus said softly.

" _My_ people cleared your roads, kept _you_ safe. All we asked for was some food and supplies. You had plenty, you could spare it. And you attacked us at night like a little sneak" Rick said, the vein in his neck throbbing violently. When Jesus continued his silence, Rick raised his gun to the side of Jesus' head and clicked off the safety.

"Hey, I told you, you talk to _me_!" salt and pepper beard yelled. "He didn't want to hurt your people. He just wanted you all to leave Hilltop alone. This attack was my idea."

Out of the corner of his eye Rick caught the woman's gaze dart from Rick, to salt and pepper beard man. She seemed to be willing him to shut up. This aroused Rick's interest enough for him to take a step back from Jesus and look more closely at the other man. Rick strutted over to him.

"Who the fuck are you?" Rick asked.

"My name's Negan. I assume you're Rick?" Negan asked. Rick tilted his head to the side, eyeing the man.

"I've never seen you at Hilltop. Where did you come from?"

Their conversation was interrupted when a message came over Rick's walkie talkie. It was a man's voice.

 _'Rick… they're all dead. All of them. Every last one.'_ the voice reported.

Rick's face went pale. He felt like he might vomit, or faint, or both. These people killed everyone. _Everyone_. The rest of Rick's people who had guns on the prisoners gasped in anger and surprise.

Michonne didn't miss a single one of the emotions that appeared on Rick's face as it drained of blood. He registered confusion, shock, realization, and then anger. She could tell the news that was just relayed was unexpected and heartbreaking for him. She feared what would happen to them now.

Rick stormed over to Jesus in a fury. Before Rick could think or reason, he cocked his gun, pressed it to Jesus's temple and fired. Jesus collapsed to the ground in a heap.

The others from Hilltop and Alexandria, jumped, or screamed, shaking in disbelief that their friend had been executed.

Rick, in a rage, walked back over and pressed his gun to Negan's temple. "You want to take responsibility for this?" Rick shouted in his face. "You want to be the leader? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you _all_ right now."

Negan stared at Rick defiantly, even with a hint of amusement that made Rick itch to shoot him as well.

"Wait! Don't."

Rick was shocked that the woman who had been watching him the entire time had spoken. She seemed surprised that she'd spoken as well.

Rick and Negan both snapped their heads to stare at her. "We come from a community too, we have people to feed. That's why we attacked you. We didn't know who you were. I can see you care about your people just like we do. You can kill us and get your revenge, yes, but besides revenge what will you get out of it? There's a better option, a better way, so that there is at least a positive outcome of the deaths today."

Rick was still staring at the woman, and when she saw that he hadn't shot Negan yet she continued speaking.

"We can make a deal with your people. We can trade something with you." she said calmly.

"Trade?" Rick scoffed, tilting his head to the side. "Trade. After you killed 25 of my people? One of my best friends were in there. I don't take chances anymore. You're murders, why would I even trust you pe-"

"I'll stay with you as a hostage. As insurance. My town will trade with your people, give you something you need. In return, you'll trade with us. That way we'll both get something out of this. If my town attacks yours, or goes back on the deal, you do what you need to do to me."

"Oh hell no!" Negan declared, "Michonne have you lost your fucking mind?"

 _'Michonne, that's her name'_ Rick thought. It fit her, the way it was slight and eloquent, yet unique. But this man, Negan, had to be put in his place.

Rick pressed his Colt Python to Negan's temple hard enough to push the man's head down a few inches.

"Shut up" Rick growled to Negan. Rick's eyes then flicked to Michonne. "What authority do you have to make that kind of deal?"

"Do you see anyone coming up with a better idea?" Michonne asked. "Either way, you win. What do you have to lose? Enough people have died today, don't you think?"

She did have a point. Killing these murderous strangers would be satisfying, but how would it help his people who were still alive? How would it help his children? His people needed things, that was the whole point of the deal with Hilltop, and if this new community had supplies that were worthwhile, they could benefit his people as well. And if they didn't? Well, he could always come back and kill them all anyway.

Rick removed his gun from Negan's head and took a step back. He held his walkie talkie up to his mouth. "Send two teams to the back road to pick up prisoners. I need a convoy taking some prisoners to the Hilltop, and another convoy heading to another community. Gather the bodies and take them home, and put everyone else on red alert." Rick directed his eyes to Michonne and narrowed them as he continued to speak into the radio. "We need to prepare for another attack, they could be comin' for us."

Rick didn't fully understand why he didn't just shoot all of these people and call it a day. He wasn't completely sure why he was considering making a deal with a group who had just murdered people that he'd known for years. He couldn't understand why he was even listening to this mysterious woman with a sword, but he was.

"Get up!" Rick snarled at Michonne. She stood, her eyes wide in uncertainty. He pointed the gun at her and Negan spat, "you hurt her and you're a dead man." Rick still couldn't understand any of the things he was doing, but he removed his handcuffs from his belt.

"Put your hands behind your back" he demanded.

"Rick!" Laura, one of his people yelled. "Rick you can't be serious, you're gonna trade with them? They killed everyone! They killed Glenn!"

Rick tensed up. He was trying not to think about Glenn who was stationed at the radio station, but that was the first person he thought of. His friend, who had saved his life way in the beginning. These people murdered him mercilessly, along with so many others. It was unlike him not to kill those who were threats, but in this case, he couldn't. At least not Michonne. And he'd take responsibility for the consequences of those actions.

The look he gave Michonne made it clear to her that she needed to comply, and she turned around and placed her hands behind her back. Rick clicked the handcuffs on her and addressed the rest of the group from Hilltop and Alexandria.

"You will be escorted back to Hilltop, and whatever other place you people are from. Hilltop will continue their deliveries of supplies as usual. The other town will be appraised by my people to see what you have of interest. Whatever that is, you will supply to us. Both of your towns will be watched closely by my people. If any of you breathes in a way I or my people don't like, I will kill her, and the rest of you won't be far behind. That's how it's gonna be."

Negan's whole body was tense, and Michonne knew he wanted to do something rash. Michonne stared at him and slightly shook her head. Pleading with him to stay down. This was not the time for him to jump in and save her. Rick noticed the interaction between the two of them, and it pissed him off that Negan was still acting tough.

Rick stalked over to Negan pulling Michonne, who was handcuffed, along with him.

"You got a problem with that?" he asked Negan, tilting his head.

"No Rick. Not at all." Negan said a little too quickly, but his jaw was clenched, and his eyes were on Michonne. Rick could tell he would have trouble with this man. It was in Rick's nature to kill all threats, but for the sake of the agreement he just made, he didn't. He hoped he wouldn't regret it.

***can08writer***

Michonne was locked inside of a metal storage cage in Rick's compound, which was a huge factory. The cage, which had a small wooden bench and a few lockers inside of it was probably designed for employees to lock up their belongings during the day. Now, it was being used to imprison her.

She didn't know the location of the factory, as she had been placed in the back of a van with no back windows. When they arrived they'd brought her to the cage still handcuffed, and left her there.

She could see what was going on around her though, people bustling past the cage but taking a moment to look at her, others purposely staring and yelling insults at her like she was a dangerous animal in the zoo. And why wouldn't they? She had killed their people. She wasn't really bothered by the insults they were hurling at her, it was more the staring. She felt open and exposed in this cage, and she was surrounded by enemies.

Michonne was shocked at how many people were in The Family. She, Negan, and Jesus were fools for thinking the people at the radio station were the only ones, and now Jesus was dead.

She wasn't sure why she made the deal she did with Rick. Surely she could've come up with something better, something that made a little more sense, something that didn't involve her being a prisoner. Rick said he didn't take chances, but bringing her back to what she assumed was his home was a big chance, wasn't it? What if she managed to escape and tell everyone else where his base really was? Or how many people he had? Unless he was planning on killing her? She didn't have the answers to any of those questions, as she sat handcuffed in her cage.

Out of the corner of her eye, Michonne noticed one particular person staring. A young boy was off to the side, throwing daggers at her with his bright blue eyes. He was standing on top of a metal box to see her over the heads of the adults, and he wore a sheriff's hat that was much too large on his head. When he saw that she'd noticed him, he squinted his eyes more, in an obvious attempt to intimidate her. When he tilted his head to the right, she instantly saw the resemblance. This was Rick's son.

She inwardly smiled. He seemed like a tough little kid. He must've been, to survive in this world for so long. This wasn't a world for children, of that she knew first hand. He continued to glare at her, his dislike for her showing clearly on his face.

And then, a commotion drew her attention away from the boy. Someone was arguing or yelling loudly in a far corner of the room. Many of the people around Michonne turned to look. She could hear a woman yelling something frantically, and a male voice seemingly trying to calm the situation. Then she heard the woman shout three words clearly. "Where is she?"

Michonne watched as a head made its way through the many people in the room, the people parting to get out of the way. Alarmed, Michonne stood from her seat on the small bench inside of the cage. As the person got closer, she could make out a head of brown hair pushing past people who didn't move fast enough. Finally, a young woman in her twenties stood in front of Michonne, with long brown hair and green eyes that were narrowed in hatred. But beyond the hatred that Michonne could recognize, there was grief. Michonne could see it in the redness of the woman's eyes, and the slight tremble of her lips. Michonne could recognize grief because she had felt it for so long. She still felt it every day.

"You." The woman said, her voice revealing a southern accent. "You bitch. You killed my husband. You killed my husband!" She screamed, her voice echoing off the high ceiling and walls.

Michonne stood staring at her, not knowing what to do or say. That was when Michonne noticed the woman's rounded belly. She was pregnant. Realization washed over Michonne when she recognized the woman from the picture of that couple she'd seen at the radio station. Her husband must've been the Korean man from the picture.

"Nothing to say bitch?!" The woman asked loudly. She quickly reached into a holster strapped to her thigh, and pulled a gun, aiming directly at Michonne's head.

Michonne wasn't afraid of the woman. She looked like she had every intention of pulling the trigger, and Michonne accepted that. She probably did kill this woman's husband, directly or indirectly, but the only feeling she felt was pity for the woman. Pity that the woman was pregnant in the first place and had to bring a baby into this, pity that the woman had lost her husband and the baby's father, and pity that the woman now had to raise the baby alone.

The woman moved closer to the cage, Michonne's silence enraging her further. "I want to string you up and watch you die" the woman said softly, her hands shaking.

Michonne said the only thing she could. "I'm sorry, about your husband."

"You're sorry? You're _sorry_? Is your sorry going to bring him back?!" The woman yelled. She clutched her belly with her left hand, while pointing the gun at Michonne with her right.

Michonne moved closer to the front of the cage, in plain sight of the woman. "No. You're right. Sorry won't bring him back. But I am. And if you need to shoot me I understand that. But it won't make you feel better. Not really. Because either way, he's gone."

"Shut up!" The woman screamed, tears rolling down her face. Michonne said nothing further, and did nothing but stand in front of the woman. Rick suddenly appeared behind the woman and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Maggie, put the gun down" he said softly.

"She… she killed Glenn. She…" Maggie stuttered, the tears coming even faster.

"I know Maggie, I know, but just put the gun down okay?" he asked in a calming voice.

"I can't" Maggie sobbed, the gun still pointing forward at Michonne's head.

As Michonne watched intently, Rick slowly reached out and took hold of Maggie's right arm, gently pulling her arm downwards. He then unclasped her fingers from the gun and put the safety back on. Rick wrapped his arms around the woman, Maggie, and she sobbed in his arms.

"I know Maggie" he said trying to comfort her, "he was your family. He was my brother. But we're here for you, for your baby. You still have family. You're not alone."

Michonne watched mesmerized, as some of the other people who were watching this exchange came over and hugged both Maggie and Rick, creating a large group hug. These people were not who she thought. Rick was not who she thought.

The Governor had made these large public displays and speeches, to showcase himself as a fearless, loving leader, but Michonne was able to see through it every time. She knew that Rick was not making a display. He really cared about this woman, these people. These people weren't her enemy, not completely, they were just on the opposite side of the fence.

Michonne's eyes caught the eyes of the boy who was still standing on the box looking at her, the brim of the Sheriff's hat putting half of his face in shadow. He gave her one last grimace before he turned around and walked away.

 _ **Author's Note** : I hope you're enjoying this story, please leave me a review and let me know what you think!_


	4. Chapter 4

**_Author's note:_ _I wanted to write Rick and The Family's backstory so readers could understand what they went through, and how this version of Rick ended up exploiting the Hilltop's resources. I also wanted to explain why some characters are/aren't still alive in this version of events. Little did I know how long it would take to rewrite the events of three seasons of television in a way that makes sense, which is why it took me so long to update. This is probably the longest chapter I've ever written, so pace yourself. This story is purposely morally ambiguous, and as a reader you can take the side of any of the groups (The Family, or the Alexandrians and Hilltoppers) because they all have their own point of view and experiences. I hope you like this version of events, and as usual, please leave me a review below. Thanks and enjoy!_**

Merle crept through the woods silently, his long experience as a hunter giving him an advantage. He preferred to go off alone when he got the chance, when the Governor wasn't sending him here or there to maim and murder some unsuspecting group. The man very rarely did his own dirty work, something that pissed Merle off greatly about him. Merle had accepted being the Governor's lieutenant because the Governor had saved him when he was dying from hunger, and infection. Merle had always been loyal to people who did for him, because there had been very few if any of those people in his life. And since his baby brother was probably dead, he didn't have anything else to do.

He crouched down when he heard some movement up ahead. He'd been tracking something big that had made a trampled path through the woods. There weren't any clear prints, but he hoped it was a deer and not a black bear. He'd seen a grand total of one since the end, probably emboldened by the lack of people around, but once he spotted it he'd made a dash to get the hell out of its way.

A branch cracked loudly, and Merle raised his gun. Something was making its way towards him. His muscles tensed in anticipation, when the crackling of the branches stopped right before the animal would've made itself known. Merle sunk down further, thinking he'd been spotted.

"Come on out!" A voice yelled from behind a bush. "Come out with your hands up or you're 'bout to get shot."

Merle couldn't believe the voice he was hearing. It sounded like… it couldn't be.

"Baby brother? Is that you?" Merle asked.

"Merle?!"

Daryl stepped out from behind a tree, his crossbow aimed at Merle's face. "Merle?!" Daryl yelled, in shock.

"Holy fuck, baby brother!" Merle yelled in glee and he ran to hug Daryl, the both of them clinging to each other. It had been almost a year since they'd last seen each other, both thinking the other was dead. Andrea had told Merle that Daryl was still alive the last time she'd seen him, but Merle had figured he'd probably died like everyone else that they knew.

"Merle I can't believe it. I thought you were dead, we all did. I came back to find you, I found your hand on that roof and I…" Daryl said, still in disbelief that he was talking to his older brother.

"Where the hell have you been?" Merle asked. "Where are you stayin'? I was gonna go look for you, Blondie told me y'all got run off a farm by roamers…"

"Blondie?" Daryl asked.

"Andrea."

"Andrea's alive?" Daryl exclaimed, floored by his second shock in the past minute.

"Sure is" Merle confirmed. "She's back at the place I've been livin' at. Woodbury. Where are you stayin'? You out here by yourself?"

"Nah, me, Rick and the others are all livin' in a prison."

"You and officer friendly huh?" Merle asked, looking Daryl up and down. "So that prick is still alive. Everybody else is alive too?" Merle asked.

"Not everybody, but we made the prison our home. C'mon, you can come back with me. Everyone'll shit bricks when they see _you're_ still alive."

***can08writer***

"Governor, we tracked Merle to that prison that was overrun. It was completely cleared out. There's roamers at the gates, but none on the inside. Merle was inside the gates with some other people" Martinez said.

The Governor leaned forward in his chair, resting his hands on the desk in front of him. "How many?"

"I only saw three. Two men and a kid, we couldn't tell if there were more inside."

"Were they holding him hostage? Did they have their guns on him?" the Governor asked.

"No sir. It was like they knew him. He didn't seem to be trying to get away."

The Governor sank back into his chair as he considered what Martinez said. Merle had gone hunting two days ago and never returned. Concerned, the Governor had sent a small group after him.

"They have to be a big group, to clear out that whole prison. Dozens of them. And if Merle knows them they may be friendlies. We'll give him some time to come back, see if he clues us in on what's going on with them. Keep tabs on that prison. If Merle isn't back in two days, we'll attack. We'll tell the people they kidnapped him and this is a rescue mission."

Martinez nodded. "If we get the opportunity, should we try to signal Merle? Let him know we're out there?"

The Governor took a second to think about his answer as Martinez nervously waited in front of him. The Governor had respected Merle as much as he respected any of the other lackeys who did his bidding. He never thought Merle had a hidden agenda or was plotting against him, but something never sat right about the story Merle had given him about killing Michonne a few weeks earlier. He'd come back with a few bruises, none of the men that'd left with him, and no trophy from Michonne. The Governor had specifically asked for her head or her sword, _both_ being what he really wanted, but he wasn't a greedy man. Merle had returned with nothing, and even worse, the Governor was now short three men. Ever since then, he'd kept his eye on Merle, but he decided to give him the benefit of a doubt.

"No. Just watch him. And try to get as much information about that group at the prison as you can" he ordered.

***can08writer***

Two days later, Merle still hadn't returned to Woodbury and the Governor was livid. The spies watching the prison reported that Merle had left the gates multiple times and had plenty of opportunities to get away, but didn't.

"Seems we have a traitor on our hands boys" he said to his most loyal lieutenants. "Merle's left us, after everything we've done for him. He chose to go live with thieves, and rapists, and murderers. Didn't even tell us he was leavin' or why. And now, I have reason to believe he's told these people about Woodbury. They could attack us any day, at any time. These people cleared out an overrun prison. They're a threat. And a threat that knows where we live, and what resources we have thanks to Merle. Merle was one of our own, but now we're not safe unless he's dead. We're gonna go there in full force. All able bodied men and women must come defend this town. You tell the others Merle is a prisoner and we're going to rescue him, but if any of you get him in your sights you take him out."

"Sir, what about the people in the prison?" A man asked.

"The Governor scowled at the man's question as if it should be obvious. "We kill them all."

***can08writer***

"Why are we gearing up for war?" Andrea asked as she watched the guns being handed out to the residents of Woodbury.

"Merle's been kidnapped by a large group. Seems like intimidation may work on them. We roll up in there with numbers and guns they may just give us Merle back without a fuss.

"So you're handing guns to teenagers as a scare tactic?" Andrea asked, hands on her hips.

"Exactly. We need the numbers. If they know what's good for them they'll let him go and we'll be back in a few hours."

"And if they don't?"

"Well, then we'll have to show them we're not fooling around."

"What does that mean?" Andrea asked.

The Governor took a step towards Andrea, and placed a hand on her cheek. "We owe it to Merle to try to bring him back, don't we? I mean, if it wasn't for him finding you, you would've died of the flu out there with that woman. What was her name again?"

"Michonne" Andrea said distractedly.

"Yea, Michonne. Merle probably saved your life by bringing you here to us. Can you imagine still running around out there with the roamers and the wild animals? Eating God knows what? Sleeping out in the open? We owe it to him to bring him back. We have to go get him."

Andrea was distracted for a few moments as she thought about what the Governor said. Coming back to Woodbury, getting treated for her sickness, it was all because Merle had found them. She and Michonne had lived together for months, and over that time Andrea had watched her go from a silent loner, who communicated only when necessary, to a woman who enjoyed and sought out her friend's company. Michonne had taken care of Andrea so many times while they were on their own, and now Andrea had no idea what had happened to her friend. She'd felt guilt that she didn't leave with her, but she had felt more guilt that she was happy here in Woodbury and Michonne was God knows where. She hoped that her friend was safe, but chances were she'd never see her again, and Andrea had never thanked her for everything the woman had done for her.

"So if the people at the prison give us Merle back that's it? No retaliation?" Andrea asked.

"They give us back Merle and that's the end of this" the Governor lied. "Now, do I have you by my side?"

Andrea looked away as she considered his words. He moved even closer to her, forcing her to look back into his eyes.

"Okay" she agreed. "Okay" he repeated after her.

***can08writer***

"Daryl" Rick called as he noticed the man walking past him going towards the gates. Daryl turned when he heard Rick's voice and headed over.

"Yea" Daryl grunted in his usual gruff fashion.

"Where's Merle?" Rick asked. "You're supposed to be keeping an eye on him. You vouched for him."

"I did, and he ain't do nothin' wrong yet" Daryl said. "He's turnin' over a new leaf. Been helpin' with watch, and huntin'. What more do you want from him?"

"I don't trust him" Rick said, standing up from his kneeling spot amongst the pea plants.

"He's my brother. I said I'd keep an eye on him and I will. I'm just gonna go check the traps real quick, that's all."

"Look" Rick said with a sigh, "I know you wanna believe he's changed, but we don't know what he's done these last few months. Last time we saw him he tried to beat T-Dog to death, and was shooting rounds off the roof of a building, putting all of us in danger. Your brother is unstable, and I don't want him around my children unsupervised. If you weren't my friend I never would've let him in here. We need _you_ , not him."

"He's my brother" Daryl repeated. "I know he's done some messed up shit, but how long you gon' hold it against him? He just needs some forgiveness is all."

"Until I'm convinced he's reformed, he needs to be with you at all times."

Daryl let out a huff of frustration. "Fine" he spat. He turned on his heel to head back inside and gather Merle, when three bullets whizzed past Daryl's head and hit the wall ahead of him, sending up three puffs of smoke.

Daryl and Rick immediately dropped to the ground and took cover. Rick lifted his head slightly to determine where the bullet came from, and he was shocked to see five trucks parked in front of the prison gates.

"That was a warning!" someone yelled loudly. "We missed on purpose, just to show you we're serious. You have one of my people, Merle. We want him back. You send whoever is in charge down here, and we can have a civilized conversation about you giving him back."

Daryl looked at Rick in surprise. Merle had told them that he was living in another community and the man in charge was pretty brutal. He'd also told them that the other community knew about the prison, but wouldn't come looking over here because they thought it was overrun.

Behind them Rick heard the prison doors open as the others were drawn by the shots. Maggie, Hershel, Carl and Glenn spread out behind the barrels and structures that were strategically placed in front of the prison's inner gates, taking cover. Beth was still inside with Judith he assumed.

"Where's Merle?" Daryl called to Glenn. He didn't see his brother come out.

"I don't know" Glenn called with a shrug. "What the hell is going on? Who are they?"

"You have three minutes for your leader to come down here peacefully, or we'll start shooting again" the voice called.

"We're not holding Merle here against his will!" Rick called. "He came here on his own. He's not a prisoner!"

"Let me hear Merle say that with his own mouth!" the Governor yelled back.

"Daryl, go get him NOW!" Rick barked. It was clear they were outgunned and outnumbered, and if these people wanted Merle back they'd get him. Rick wasn't going to put Merle over the safety of everyone else.

"Better hurry, you got two minutes left!" the Governor yelled from the gates.

Rick looked back towards the prison and saw Carl hiding behind the wooden pallets with everyone else. He had his shotgun up like the others, ready to fire at the first command. Rick knew if these people started firing, someone would be killed. The only thing protecting them was the prison's high gates and walls. He didn't want Merle staying here from the beginning, and now the man's crooked past was catching up to him, and putting his family in danger. Rick wouldn't have it.

He stood up from his crouched position and gave a quick reassuring nod to Carl before he walked towards the gates to meet the intruder. The Governor saw Rick walking towards the gates and he hopped down off the back of the pick-up truck he was standing on.

"Get ready, who knows what they're up to" he yelled back to his people before strolling towards Rick and the fence.

Rick and the Governor met each other at the fences, the two layers of chain link separating them.

"What do you want?" Rick asked.

"Merle. You took him prisoner. Kidnapped him." The Governor yelled, loud enough for his people to hear from a few feet behind him.

"We didn't. Merle came to us. He wanted to stay here, and he told me about you. You're the Governor, right? He told me about how you raid other groups, kill them and take what they have-"

"Lies!" the Governor interrupted. "You say you're not holding Merle hostage, but where is he? You people are liars and thugs. You probably are just prisoners who escaped and killed the guards. You need to give us Merle back, or you die."

"He's comin'" Rick said. "He'll tell you himself…"

"Rick?" Andrea yelled from her spot behind one of the car doors. She hadn't been able to hear or see the conversation that was happening until she looked through the scope of her rifle and spotted him.

"Rick!" she yelled, and raced towards the gate, her blond hair flying behind her.

"Andrea!" Rick called, happy to see a friendly face on the other side of the fence.

"Phillip, these people aren't criminals, these are my old friends from Atlanta. They didn't kidnap Merle, Merle knows them. His brother is here. Call everyone off, we can work this out." Andrea said confidently, with a smile.

The Governor's eyes flashed and his lips curled into a grimace. He had no intentions of ending this peacefully. These people had supplies and a huge protected building with fences and concrete walls. They knew where Woodbury was thanks to Merle, and there was nothing stopping them from attacking his town. He didn't care if Merle had joined them voluntarily, Merle would die for being a traitor. He didn't care if Andrea knew these people, they would die because they were threats.

The Governor glanced back at his people who seemed somewhat relieved that Andrea had recognized the new group. They trusted Andrea, and if she said these people were friendly, they were willing to believe her to get out of the impending fight. Many of them had already pointed their weapons downwards, but the Governor had a plan and he would see it through.

"If they're so friendly, why haven't we seen Merle yet?" he asked Andrea with a grunt.

Just as he said that, he noticed Merle and Daryl making their way towards them, walking down the prison's long front pathway. This was his chance. The Governor rubbed his chin, a signal to his snipers that were hiding away from the rest of the group to fire on Merle. There was a pause for a few seconds, and a gunshot rang out through the air, startling everyone.

Merle screamed "Daryl!". All eyes were looking towards Merle and Daryl when Daryl suddenly slumped to the ground.

 _Idiots, they can't even aim!_ The Governor thought. Using the distraction to his advantage, the Governor swiftly pulled his gun and shot Andrea in the chest. Rick spun from gawking at Daryl and Merle, to watch Andrea look downwards at the hole in her chest.

"Andrea!" Rick and the Governor yelled at the same time, and Andrea fell backwards into the Governor's arms. "They shot Andrea!" he screamed at his people who looked around startled, "Kill them all!"

Thinking they were under attack, the people of Woodbury opened fire on Rick and the rest of the group. Rick barely had time to process what was happening before bullets were whizzing past his head. He stumbled backwards behind the overturned bus, and right before he completely got behind it a bullet tore through his thigh.

"Ahh!" Rick screamed, pulling his injured leg behind the bus. This man was insane. Daryl was shot, and he'd executed Andrea right in front of him. He heard his family opening fire on the intruders, bullets bouncing off the bus he was hiding behind, and whizzing past his head.

The Governor held Andrea to his chest in fake grief. Andrea, who was still alive, looked up at the Governor in horror, her chest wound pouring blood.

"Wh- why?" She managed to push the words out as her chest got tighter and tighter. It was almost impossible to breathe.

"It was good while it lasted" the Governor said, already looking towards the prison hoping to find Merle who was his real target. He dropped Andrea to the ground as she struggled to breathe.

"Martinez! Go through the fences in your cars, we're going in!"

"Roger that!" Martinez responded, "move in!"

Meanwhile, Merle was trying to drag his brother back into the safety of the prison. Daryl had been hit in the stomach, and a red stain was slowly spreading across his shirt.

"Hold on lil' brother" Merle called to Daryl as he dragged him towards the prison's inner gates.

Daryl gasped and clutched his stomach. "M-Merle" Daryl stuttered.

"Shhh just hold on. Hershel will fix you right up." Merle said, struggling to drag his brother with one arm while dodging bullets.

"Merle..." Daryl said again, sputtering as he tried to finish his sentence. From the gurgling sounds coming from Daryl, Merle could tell he was seriously injured. He pulled Daryl behind a wooden pallet that was barely protection from the bullets that were flying, and crouched down next to him.

"This group… is… family" Daryl said to his brother, grabbing Merle by the front of his shirt to make him listen. "It's good you found 'em. You can't… make it alone. They're… your family… now."

"Shut up. You gon' be just fine brother." Merle said, patting Daryl on the shoulder. "Soon as I get you inside."

Daryl let go of Merle's shirt and his eyes rolled up in his head. "Daryl!" Merle called, but his brother was unresponsive.

"Hershel!" Merle called towards the prison where the others were firing at the cars that were pushing their way through the fences.

Hershel saw Merle crouched over Daryl, desperately calling to him, and he could tell by the way Daryl was lying that he was already dead. But someone had to get Merle. It was obvious he wasn't going to leave his brother behind.

"I gotta go get him" Hershel said to Maggie. "No!" Maggie screamed, grabbing his arm. "Daddy, no!".

"I have to" Hershel replied. "He won't leave Daryl out there."

"No!" Maggie yelled, holding him tighter.

"Get Beth and Judith, and get to the cars" Hershel ordered, looking at Maggie. "They're knocking the gates down, this place isn't safe anymore. We'll all meet at the rendezvous point. You know where it is."

"But daddy…" Maggie began, but Hershel quickly kissed his daughter on the head and made his way towards the gates.

Merle refused to believe his brother was dead. _Hershel can fix this_ he thought. He saw Hershel running for the gate to get to him and Merle provided cover for the slow moving veterinarian. By the time Hershel made it over to Merle and Daryl, the cars from the Governor's people had smashed through the outermost fence and were quickly knocking through the second.

"Merle I'm sorry, Daryl's gone. We have to go, now!" Hershel said, pulling on Merle's arm.

"What d'you mean he's gone?" Merle said, his eyes tearing up. "He ain't gone, you barely looked at him. He's hurt goddamn it, he ain't dead!"

"We have to go now!" Hershel yelled at Merle, pulling his arm to get him away from Daryl.

"That's my brother!" Merle yelled, shaking Hershel's hand from his arm.

"There's nothing I or you can do for him. He's gone, and if you stay here you will be too!" Hershel yelled, trying to talk some sense into Merle.

"I ain't leavin' him!" Merle yelled, ignoring Hershel and continuing to drag his brother back towards the prison. The bullets flew past their heads as the men continued to argue. The Governor's cars had flown through both gates and were now slowly rolling up the walkway.

Rick managed to drag himself through one of the windows and inside the overturned bus. He could hear the bullets bouncing off the bus around him, and he could see the cars rolling past him towards the prison. His family was trying their best to defend their home, but it was obvious that it was over. They had to leave. The gates were down now, the noise would attract more walkers, and they were greatly outnumbered. Once the intruders rolled past him, Rick noticed the leader, the Governor, casually walking behind the cars towards the prison's inner gates. Rick cocked his gun and aimed for the maniac, but quickly realized he was too far away, and Rick was practically trapped inside of the overturned bus. Drawing gunfire to himself wasn't the wisest thing to do.

He wondered where Carl and Judith were. He hoped someone had gotten them away from the gunfire. His group had an escape plan, a rendezvous point in case something went wrong. They were all to meet at the small waterfall where they'd spent the night before they'd found the prison. And it was very symbolic that that was where everyone would go if they got separated. It was at that waterfall, situated near the ruins of an old home, that Rick had declared to his people that "this isn't a democracy anymore." He had made it clear that all the future decisions for the group would be his. And look where his leadership had gotten them? They were in the middle of being attacked, their home was destroyed, and he, their leader, was unable to walk and cowering in a junk bus. The guilt washed over him. He had a job of protecting these people, and he had failed.

***Can08writer***

"Carl, let's go!" Glenn yelled, grabbing the boy by the shoulder. The attackers' cars were rolling straight up to the gates, and it was clear that their group was losing this battle. Carl was still blindly firing his gun, seemingly unable to stop.

"No! My dad is out there! He's in the bus I saw him crawl inside. We have to go get him!"

" _We_ can't. I will. You go get Judith and get to the cars with everyone else. I'll get your dad to the rendezvous point somehow."

"No I have to…" Carl started.

" _You_ have to make sure Maggie, Beth, and Judith are in those cars. Can you do that? I will get your dad and meet you. I'm trusting you to do that Carl."

Carl opened his mouth as if to argue again, and Glenn yelled "I'm trusting you with _my_ family, will you trust me with yours?"

Carl, seeing the determination and agony in Glenn's eyes at leaving Maggie behind understood that his job was just as important as Glenn's.

"I'll get them there" Carl promised, "you get my dad."

Glenn nodded, and Carl turned and sprinted towards the cars.

Hershel realized his pleading with Merle wasn't going anywhere. The man wasn't going to leave his brother's body behind, and Hershel had to worry about his girls. Reluctantly, Hershel turned and hobbled backwards towards the gates, firing shots at the vehicles that were quickly approaching himself and Merle. He had to make it to the cars. Merle was still trying to drag Daryl's limp body towards the inner gates.

Just as Hershel made it back to the inner gate, Glenn ran past him with his riot gear on, firing rounds as he ran, heading towards the gate that lead to the woods flanking the prison. "Hershel, get to the cars! Get out of here!" Glenn commanded as he ran past him.

"Where are _you_ going?" Hershel yelled incredulously at his son-in-law. "To get Rick!" Glenn called as he whizzed past.

"Glenn!" Hershel screamed, but Glenn continued running full speed towards the side gate. Hershel had to do something. The least he could do was give Glenn some cover fire. Hershel opened fire on the cars that were now directly in front of the prison. The Governor strolled behind the cars which were giving him cover, until he spotted Merle still crouching next to Daryl's body.

When the Governor stalked over to Merle, Hershel aimed and shot him in the left arm before running out of ammo.

"Ahh!" the Governor screamed, clutching his arm to him. He pulled his gun with his right arm, and unleashed bullets into the pallet Hershel was hiding behind until the older man dropped.

The shots directed towards Hershel snapped Merle to his senses. Agonizingly, Merle stabbed Daryl in the head before running for the gates, finally leaving Daryl behind. He dove behind Hershel's pallet as bullets flew past his head. He landed next to Hershel who had a bullet straight through his neck. The brave man's eyes were open, and his fingers were still clutching his shotgun,

Merle shook his head and gently closed Hershel's eyes. He then stabbed Hershel in the head with the knife on his missing hand.

"Stop firing, there's no one shooting back!" the Governor yelled at his people. The wave of bullets slowed down and then eventually stopped. Merle looked around for an escape. He knew in a few seconds the Governor was going to kill him.

"Stay here" the Governor ordered. "I'll tell you when it's safe to move in." In reality, he didn't want his people to see him murder Merle. This was supposed to be a rescue mission after all. Holding his injured arm, the Governor gestured for Martinez and a few others to come with him into the prison's empty courtyard.

"He's mine" the Governor growled at the other men, before moving into the prison's inner gates. Merle crawled behind two empty water barrels, knowing that they would offer no protection against bullets.

 _Well, imma be with my lil' brother real soon_ Merle said to himself.

The Governor stopped to observe Hershel's body before continuing towards where Merle was hiding. Merle, bulletless, resolved himself to taking out the Governor before he died. His muscles coiled as he prepared to end this monster for good with his knife hand.

A hail of bullets suddenly rained down on the group from Woodbury, taking them by surprise. Martinez and a few of the other men dropped to the ground, groaning from their injuries. Merle's head shot up, realizing the bullets were coming from the treeline near one of the fences.

"C'mon!" he heard a woman yell. Not knowing who was shooting, and not really caring, Merle dashed towards the fence while the bullets of the Woodbury soldiers that were waiting outside of the inner gates followed him. When he got closer, he saw Carol firing at the invaders, giving Merle cover. Just as Merle slipped through the fence, one of her bullets struck the Governor and his head snapped back violently. He crumpled to the ground while Merle took off into the woods with Carol.

"Good shot" Merle huffed as he ran. "Where you been?"

Carol's mind quickly went back to being exiled by Rick for murdering Karen and David, two drifters that they'd allowed to join the prison, but had soon come down with a contagious illness. Carol had killed them to keep everyone safe, but Rick didn't see it that way, an unbeknownst to the others, he had told her to leave and never come back.

"Mini vacation" she joked. "What the hell is going on?"

"We're fucked, that's what" Merle replied.

***Can08writer***

Glenn had run around the entire perimeter of the prison to get to the front gates where Rick was hiding in the bus. All of the Woodbury soldiers were rolling up to the prison's inner gates, so he effortlessly snuck back in through the front gates, to where he last saw Rick.

"Rick!" Glenn called, knocking on the side of the bus.

Rick who was hiding between the bus seats, slowly pulled himself towards a window.

"I'm here" Rick called.

Glenn reached through the window and grabbed Rick's hand, pulling the man out and onto the grass. Glenn turned around to make sure they weren't attracting attention before lifting Rick to his feet.

"I'm shot in the leg" Rick explained. "Just go, get back to the cars, I'm gonna slow you down. Where's Carl? Just make sure Carl and Judith are safe." Rick said to Glenn.

"Carl's already at the cars. I told them to leave. We're gonna meet them at the rendezvous point, just hold on. I'm gonna get you there." Glenn said, wrapping Rick's arm around his neck.

"I can't slow you down" Rick said, "I don't wanna risk it. I won't."

"Just shut up. I'm getting you back to Carl and little asskicker, and I'm getting back to my wife. I promised. So just worry about moving as fast as you can so we can both get out of here."

"Okay" Rick said, putting most of his weight on his good leg and then hopping on his shot one. "Let's go."

***Can08writer***

"We have to go back!" Carl shouted at Maggie.

"We can't" Maggie said, shaking her head. "We can't, the Governor is still in there. They'll kill us."

"My dad is still in that bus! Glenn is still out there, we have to get them!"

"They'll get here" Maggie said, nodding to herself. "They'll get here with my dad. Daddy said he was just gonna get Merle, they got a car and they're comin'."

"It's Merle's fault that man even came here! He was looking for Merle, and now we don't have a home, we don't have anything!" Carl yelled.

"Carl, lower your voice" Maggie snapped. "You think I don't want to go back and get Glenn and my dad? You think I don't feel that way too? You want to be a grown up? You want to be treated like a grown up? Then you have to understand that we can't always do something because we want to. You have a little sister to look after. You promised your mom you would. And when you have someone to look after you have to think about _them_."

"But…"

"Carl! No matter what happens, you have to look after Judith now, and she _needs_ you" Maggie said sternly.

Carl looked from Maggie to Judith who was in Beth's arms. In that moment, he understood some of the decisions the adults were making. Even if you wanted to do what you thought was right, sometimes you had to hold your feelings at bay to do what was needed. Carl walked over to Beth and took Judith from her. The little girl clung to her brother, burying her face in his shoulder.

Carl nodded and squeezed his sister tighter. "Okay."

"Okay. We may be here for a while, waiting for them. We have to be quiet, and keep Judith quiet. No fires, no noise. Beth, you and I are on watch, Carl, try to get Judith to go to sleep. We'll wait here until nightfall. If no one comes…" Maggie paused for a moment and looked up into the sky. "We'll wait until they get here" she said more confidently.

***Can08writer***

First Carol and Merle arrived, to Maggie's relief, followed by Glenn and an injured Rick an hour later.

"Where's Daddy?" Maggie asked Glenn happily, after she'd squeezed the life out of him.

"He's not here?" Glenn asked, confused.

"Sorry. He didn't make it" Merle mumbled.

"What?" Glenn, Maggie, and Beth said simultaneously.

"He was a tough son of a bitch. He saved me. Got the Governor in the arm too. But the Governor took him out."

Maggie burst into tears, and Beth ran over to hug her. "The bastard would've killed me if Carol hadn't come rescue me. She took him out. I had to leave my brother there. Just on the ground like… like nothin'."

"Daryl's gone?" Carol asked in surprise.

Rick shook his head in shock. Daryl was his right hand man, almost his brother. They had been slightly at odds since Merle had arrived, but Daryl was part of the reason they'd survived so long. And Rick was surprised to see Carol there as well. He'd banished her and she came back to help them anyway.

"It's your fault the Governor even came here!" Glenn yelled at Merle. "It's _your_ fault Daryl's dead."

"The fuck you'd just say?" Merle growled, stepping up to Glenn.

"Stop it!" Rick yelled, hobbling towards the two, but he could barely walk and Carl allowed his father to lean on him so he wouldn't fall over.

"No one wanted you here but Daryl, and now he's gone. So you can leave." Glenn spat.

"You say my brother's name again and I'll stomp you out" Merle said, brandishing his knife arm. " _I_ helped protect you people. While I was livin' with you I stayed on watch for you people. Went huntin'. Helped with whatever you needed. None of y'all complained. _Now_ you got shit to say? Fuck you. All of you. You don't want me with you, I'm gone. Daryl thought of y'all as fuckin' family, but y'all aint nothin' but fuckin' parasites."

Merle looked each member of the group in their eye. "I'm out of here. Thanks for the save, Carol." He turned around and began to stalk away.

"Wait!" Rick called. Merle stopped walking for a moment. "Merle, we have to get out of here. I can barely walk. We lost a lot of people today, and we need to stay together."

"I don't need y'all" Merle said.

"I know. _We_ need you." Rick admitted.

Merle turned around slowly. "We need every able bodied person we have to get out of this situation alive. When you first came to us you said you had turned over a new leaf. Is that true?" Rick asked.

Merle's eyes narrowed. "What you think? You see I'm standing here ain't I?"

"Okay" Rick said. "We need to work together if we're gonna survive. We need to trust each other. Merle is here with us. He's one of us. We're a family. The only family we have. Now let's get the hell out of here before those people find us."

***can08writer***

For a week, the group lived in a house they'd found, a few miles away from the prison. Rick needed to recover from his gunshot wound, and Judith had to stay inside, so often the group would leave Rick and Judith in the house while they went to scavenge for food. Carl and Beth stepped their skills up, clearing houses, and taking down walkers with the rest of them. Maggie, Carol, Glenn and Merle held down the responsibilities of going on runs. Glenn had to put aside his mistrust of Merle in order for them to work together.

After a week, Rick's leg wasn't completely healed, but he was capable of limping. He was lucky the bullet went through the fleshy part of his leg and didn't damage any major muscles or nerves. It just hurt like hell.

Supplies were running low, and Merle, Carol, Maggie, and Glenn wanted to go on a run to a large shopping center they'd found advertisements for. There were a few grocery stores in the advertisements, and they figured there had to be something of use left behind. They couldn't find a car, so they would have to walk there and back, and hopefully find shopping carts to push the supplies they'd hoped to find. It was an extremely dangerous run, and Rick didn't like it one bit.

"Beth, Carl, and Judith can stay here with you" Maggie said.

"I can help!" Beth inserted. "I've gotten better with a gun, and my knife."

"Yes, you have" Maggie agreed, running her hand down her sister's hair. "That's why I need you to stay here with Rick. He still can't move that well and he needs someone responsible to protect this place. You too Carl." Maggie said, turning to the boy. "Y'all keep an eye on Rick and Judith. We shouldn't be gone longer than two days."

"Okay" Beth said.

"Try not to go outside unless you absolutely have to. We don't want to attract any attention to this house from walkers or people."

Once the others left, Rick, Judith, Carl, and Beth spent an uneventful day in the house. While Judith napped, the rest of them played card games in the kitchen until it got too dark for the game to continue.

Carl took first watch as Beth and Rick attempted to rest, and a few hours later Carl woke Rick up so he could take over. Rick gazed out the window as Carl, Beth, and Judith slept. He had never felt the weight of leadership press so heavily on him than he did now. His family had no permanent home now, no store of supplies, and no foreseeable future. He didn't know what was in store for his children, and it bothered him.

Rick saw movement in the street outside of the house that snapped him back to attention. He squinted into the darkness to see better. The moon wasn't very bright so he could only see some movement coming from across the street. He couldn't tell if it was walkers, animals, or people. He had long run out of bullets in his gun, so he pulled his knife as the movement continued, now getting closer. The hairs on his arm stood up. He didn't want to wake the kids if he didn't have to, so he watched closely until he heard the whispered voices. There were men outside, at least three, probably more.

Rick stumbled from the window and into the living room where the kids were sleeping. He silently shook Beth and then Carl, placing his finger to his lips. He didn't want to wake up Judith.

"There's men outside" Rick whispered, "At least three. Get all our stuff and wait by the back door. We may need to run."

"I got Judith" Beth said softly, lifting the girl so she didn't wake up.

Carl gathered their meager belongings as Rick returned to the front window. His heart sunk when he saw they were on the porch.

"This one's as good as any" a voice said. "It was Lou's dumb idea to keep walkin' even though it was getting dark."

"Hey we made good time, ya pussy. I already put a claim on a bed, I'm not sleeping on the floor one more day."

Rick spun around and hobbled towards Beth and Carl who were waiting by the back door.

"Go!" He whispered. The men were going to come in.

Carl pulled the door open and it made an ear-splitting creak that tore through the night.

"Fuck!" Rick cursed. "Run!"

Beth and Carl took off down the porch steps as Rick struggled to go as fast as he could. He had only just gotten down the stairs when two men grabbed Beth, and a third yanked Carl by the arm. Rick tried to bodyslam the man holding his son, but was easily knocked to the ground.

"I claim the girl!" one of the men said loudly, "she looks like a goodun'. Don't want the baby though."

"Let go!" Beth yelled, twisting in the man's grip. The three that Rick saw on the porch made their way around to the back of the house.

"Lookie here, a whole fuckin family. Ain't that sweet. A mama, a daddy, a little boy and a baby. Though, she does look kinda young" the man said turning to Rick. "You like 'em young huh?"

"Let them go" Rick said, trying to get himself off the ground, but another man easily pushed him back down.

"We like 'em young too" the man continued. "Ain't much choice in the matter sometimes."

"You can have our stuff" Rick said. "Take it. Take it and let us walk away."

"Since no one else said it, I'm claiming the boy" the man holding Carl said. "He'll have to do."

"Get off of me!" Carl yelled, continuing to struggle.

"Please. Let them go." Rick begged, attempting to stand again. The same man shoved Rick down so hard he fell flat on his back.

"Now why would we go 'n' do that?" The man who seemed to be in charge said.

"What do you want?" Rick asked, trying to keep the man talking while he figured out what to do.

"Well first we're gonna have the girl, then the boy… then we're gonna kill you. And the baby? Well… we'll just see where the night goes" the leader said.

Carl elbowed the man who was holding him in the stomach, but only succeeded in making the man angry. He threw Carl down on the ground and sat on top of him, pushing the boy's face into the gravel.

"Joe, I think we may just have to start with the boy" the man said.

"Stop it!" Beth yelled, struggling to get free from the men holding her.

"Don't worry little lady" one of the men said, "you'll get your turn."

Rick growled and tried to get up again, when one of the men kicked him in the face.

Judith started to scream, and the leader yelled "shut the baby up or I'll feed her to whatever comes by."

The man sitting on top of Carl continued to push Carl's face into the ground harder while simultaneously unbuckling his belt.

"Let him go!" Rick screamed, but he was ignored. One of the men holding Beth ripped Judith out of her arms and plopped the girl on the ground. He then came back and wrapped his arms around Beth, pressing her to his chest as she screamed, the man staring at Rick the entire time.

Rick attempted to get up again, and when a man kicked at him, Rick grabbed the foot and yanked, knocking the man off balance and on to the floor. Rick pummeled the man until another one grabbed Rick around the neck and threw him to the ground again.

"This fucker thinks he's gonna fight us?" one of the men taunted. "Oh, we're just gonna make you watch." The man grabbed Rick's hair with one hand and used his other hand to punch Rick in the face repeatedly.

Meanwhile, the one that had hold of Carl began laughing hysterically as he tried to remove Carl's clothing, and the two that had hold of Beth were crushing her between them while Judith screamed and cried hysterically on the ground.

Summoning every inch of strength and rage he had in him, Rick leaped from the ground, swung his fist back as far as it could go, and punched the man who was attacking him in the jaw. His fist connected with the jaw with a sickening crack. The man fell backwards and hit the ground so hard he was knocked unconscious.

Carl tried to get his knife out of his hip holster, but the man on top of him quickly snatched it away, and used the opportunity to flip Carl on to his back. Carl continued to struggle, punching and kicking at his attacker.

Beth stopped struggling against her attackers. She stayed still as they sandwiched her between them, one pulling her against his chest, the other pressed against her back.

"See? This one knows how to behave. Don't you girl?" The man in front whispered before leaning down to nibble on her ear.

Beth slowly pulled her knife unnoticed. "Please let us go" she whispered back.

"Maybe. If you behave I might let you and the baby walk out of here. Deal?" the man asked.

Beth nodded quickly. The man smirked and ran his hand slowly up her shirt when he let out a scream and stumbled backwards falling on his butt, a wound in his side gushing blood.

"Len, what is it?" Joe, the leader asked. Confused, the man standing behind Beth went to check on his friend, still holding Beth by the arm. Beth twisted in his grasp and jammed her already bloodied knife into the second man's arm.

Carl bit into the hand of the man on top of him who was holding a hand over Carl's mouth. When the man let go of Carl's face, he headbutted the man hard in the nose. He crawled backwards to get out from underneath the man, and as soon as his legs were free, Carl kicked the man in the face and struggled to his feet.

While Beth and Carl struggled for their lives, Rick pounced on Joe and got a good hit to the solar plexus before Joe wrapped his arms around Rick's arms in a bear hug, preventing him from fighting further.

"What you gonna do now, sport?" Joe asked haughtily. Carl and Beth's struggle to get free rang in Rick's ears, and Judith's screams pierced the night. His daughter was screaming in terror.

Bundling his rage into a final roar, Rick slammed his head forward and bit into Joe's neck, blood and fluids pouring from the opening that Rick made. Joe tried to cry out, but he only managed a few gurgles before he fell to his knees. All of the other men paused to stare as Rick spit a chunk of Joe's flesh on to the floor.

Carl, realizing this was his opportunity to strike, grabbed his knife that had been previously tossed away by his attacker, and stabbed it into the man's left eye. Beth shook off the hand of the man she had stabbed, and scooped Judith up from the ground. The girl clung to Beth tightly. One of the two men left ran for Rick and Rick tackled him, forgetting his injured leg. Rick punched and pummeled and tore at the man savagely as he screamed for his life. The final man, realizing that he was now outnumbered, pulled a gun and pointed it at Beth and Judith.

"He's mine" Rick snarled, his face still dripping with Joe's blood. He looked like a wild monster, rage still painted in blood across his face.

"I'll shoot them!" the man screamed, his hand shaking, "I'll… I'll shoot them!"

Rick continued to advance on the man when his gun went off. Rick and the man both looked startled at the noise.

Beth let out a gasp and stumbled backwards. Judith screamed, and then both of them fell to the ground.

"Beth!" Carl yelled, running towards her.

Rick completely forgot about the man in that instant. He ran towards Beth and Judith hoping, praying, that they were fine. The last man ran off into the darkness.

"Beth are you okay?" Carl asked, taking a screaming Judith from her. He immediately noticed blood on Judith's leggings, and blood on Beth's shirt.

"Dad!" Carl screamed, but Rick was already there, pulling up Judith's leggings to get a better look. She had been hit by the bullet, it had grazed Judith. Her leg was bleeding badly, but it didn't look life threatening.

He then looked at Beth and saw the blood pooling through her shirt. He gently raised Beth's shirt to show her stomach, and the hole that went straight through and out her back.

"Oh Christ. It went through Judith into Beth" Rick said, pressing down on Beth's stomach. "Shit, shit, shit."

"What do we do?" Carl asked, beginning to panic.

"You... you press down on Judith's leg" Rick ordered Carl. "Hard. And take her back in the house."

Carl turned and ran back inside with his sister who was crying and hysterical due to her pain and fear.

"Beth, you still with me?" Rick asked.

"He… he shot me" Beth said, looking down at her wound.

"Yea he did" Rick said, pushing down harder to stem the flow of blood.

"Am I dyin'?" Beth asked.

"Not on my watch" Rick said. "I have to get you inside so I can treat that. I'm gonna have to pick you up."

"You can't. You can barely walk." Beth reminded him. "Just help me to my feet."

"Okay" Rick said, impressed at the girl's bravery. "You ready?"

Beth nodded, and Rick quickly pulled her up until she could stand on her own feet. She let out a groan of pain and blood quickly dripped from her wound, making a trail on the ground. He held one of her arms as he led her back into the house. He could hear the growls of a few walkers drawn by all the commotion, and he knew they'd take care of the dead and dying men who were in the backyard.

When Rick entered the house, Carl had laid Judith on the kitchen table and had wrapped his own shirt around her leg to stem the flow of blood. He was also pressing on the wound firmly as the baby screamed.

"Dad, she won't stop crying. What do I do?" Carl asked.

"Just keep holding the shirt there, just like that."

Rick helped Beth into a kitchen chair, and looked at the exit wound in her back that was also pouring blood. It was more severe than he first realized.

 _There's nothing I can do to close this. We have no stitches, no bandages, no way to keep it clean. I'm not a doctor. God, I can't help her._

After staring at the wound on her back for a few seconds, Rick moved to crouch in front of Beth who was sitting. She studied his face for a few seconds.

"You can't fix it, can you?" Beth asked.

"We can try to stop the bleeding with pressure. That's all we have." Rick said.

"It won't work" Beth said, looking down at her wound. "It hurts."

"We're gonna try" Rick said determinedly. They had already searched the house to look for medical supplies for his gunshot wound, so Rick knew there were none, but there was a soiled sheet upstairs that they'd have to use to keep pressure on the injury.

"Carl, bring Judith over here and go get the sheet off the bed."

Carl scurried upstairs quickly as Rick simultaneously pressed on Judith's and Beth's wounds. Judith who was still traumatized by her experience, reached out to her daddy and clung to his neck. He tried to hold her on his lap but still provide pressure to Beth's stomach wound, even as her back wound continued to pour blood.

"It's not gonna work" Beth said again. "I've seen my dad treat dogs and cats that had been shot. If it's this bad, if they're bleedin' how I'm bleedin', plus you don't have sutures or anything else, there's nothin' you can do."

"You're not a dog or a cat" Rick brought up.

"Can you tell Maggie what I did? Can… can you tell her I was brave, and I fought them?"

"Beth" Rick said, leaning closer. "You're gonna make it."

A tear ran down Beth's cheek and she looked at Judith. "Can you tell her about me? Like how I took care of her? I know she won't remember me."

"Beth!" Rick breathed, shocked at the girl's hopeless attitude. Carl came back with the filthy sheet and took Judith from Rick again. Judith didn't want to be passed around and clung to her father tightly, screaming even louder.

"It's okay, I'll do it" Carl said, placing Judith back on Rick's lap. Carl helped Beth lean forward slightly, and wrapped the sheet around her middle as tightly as he could. When he was finished, Beth leaned back against the chair again.

"Tell Maggie daddy would want her to go on. Tell her I'm gonna be with daddy and mama, and everyone else. Tell her we all got jobs to do, and livin' is her job. We don't get to complain. We don't…" Beth wiped a tear from her eye. "We don't get to complain. Promise me you'll tell her."

"I promise" Carl said, answering Beth before Rick could. He grabbed her hand and squeezed.

"Thanks Carl" Beth said.

Rick and Carl both noticed the sheet already had blood stains seeping through it. She was bleeding faster than they'd realized. They gave each other a look, realizing that the odds weren't in Beth's favor.

"Let's move you somewhere more comfortable" Rick suggested. Beth nodded, and the two of them helped her up and walked her over to the couch in the living room. Once she laid down her eyes began to get heavy.

"I dunno if I should sleep or not" Beth said with a chuckle, "that may not end well, right?"

"Well I'll stay and keep you awake if you want" Carl volunteered. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Uh, you know any stories?" Beth asked.

Rick pressed on Judith's wound and rocked her side to side to calm her as Carl told Beth a story that Lori had once told him. It touched Rick's heart to see that Carl remembered it, as he must've been very young when she first told him. As Carl spoke, Beth listened quietly, smiling at the funny parts, as Carl held her hand. Once the story finished, Carl started another one, and Rick watched as the life slowly drained from Beth. Her eyes began to close, but Carl continued talking for another ten minutes. He knew she could no longer hear him, but he wanted to finish the story just in case. After a while, Rick noticed Beth had stopped breathing.

"Carl" Rick said softly. Carl looked at his father, tears dripping down his face.

"I'll do it" Carl said, pulling his knife. Without hesitation he drove it through the top of Beth's head.

Rick wrapped his arms around his son, and Carl hugged him back, but he had a serious look on his face.

"We have to go" Carl said. "We have to find the others. That guy who escaped knows we're here, he could bring more people back. And maybe the others found medical supplies we can use on Judith."

Rick looked down at Beth. Carl followed his gaze.

"We have to leave her here. We can't bury her."

A pang went through his heart at how quickly his son had grown up. The boy had just become a teenager and already he was hardened enough to throw his emotions away and make hard decisions. He was willing to do what he had to, to protect his father and sister. At the age of 13, Carl had become a man.

Rick placed a hand on Carl's cheek. "You're right", he agreed. "Get our packs."

***can08writer***

After walking for hours, Rick, Carl, and Judith met Glenn, Maggie, Carol, and Merle who were pushing a shopping cart they'd snagged from the store. Maggie collapsed to her knees screaming when she saw that Beth was nowhere in sight. She was inconsolable. In a matter of weeks she'd lost her father, her sister, and her home. Rick followed Beth's final wishes, and relayed to Maggie everything Beth asked them to tell her. Maggie's spirit was crushed.

The horror of Beth's death and what had almost happened to Beth and Carl was topped by the bullet wound in Judith's leg. They hadn't found medical supplies after they raided the grocery store, but they'd found food staples like instant rice and pasta, and cans of soup. Merle had scavenged a bottle of cooking shandy, and limited on what else they could do, Rick had poured it on Judith's leg to disinfect the wound as the girl screamed in pain. Afterwards she had drifted off to sleep, the events of the night before and her painful leg acting as a tranquilizer.

The group walked for miles, towards an uncertain future. With two injured group members, and a woman who was completely broken, Rick hated to admit it but he didn't have much hope for their future. His most pressing concern was Judith, who hadn't woken since the shandy was poured on her leg, and who's cheeks were flushed a red color. Rick was sure she was coming down with a fever.

The next day after they'd continued their wanderings, they'd come upon a sign for a place called Terminus. Written on a train map was the message ' _Terminus. Those who arrive survive.'_ In the middle of the map, a station was circled.

"This is it" Glenn said. "They'll have food and supplies there. Maybe even medicine for Judith. If they're strong enough to put up signs we have to check it out."

"Or we could be walkin' into a trap" Merle said. "Why would they wanna draw more people towards themselves. That's leavin' them open to attack."

"Well we have to find out. Judith is sick. If we don't go she could die." Carl said.

"It's risky" Carol said. "If we go, it should be with caution. We don't know who they are."

"They don't know who _we_ are" Glenn said. "If they're no good, we can handle ourselves."

***can08writer***

With the insistence of Rick, the group watched the perimeter of the compound for a while, noticing a few people walking through the buildings from time to time but nothing overly suspicious. Carol and Merle volunteered to stay outside of the gates as snipers in case something went down and they needed backup. Rick felt relieved that they had someone on the outside just in case. Especially Carol. He had apologized to her for exhiling her earlier. Now that things happened the way they did, he understood her reasoning for executing Karen and David. Honestly, if the same thing happened again he'd do what she did.

Rick, Carl, Glenn, Maggie, and Judith were greeted at the gates of Terminus to the sound of laughter, and the smell of meat barbecuing over a grill. Rick opened the gate with his knife raised as he no longer had bullets for his gun. The starving, exhausted family, trudged past the planted flowers, their pots painted with rainbows, smiley faces, and other colorful art projects.

They kept their backs to the wall of one of the buildings as they made their way forward, until they approached a clearing between the buildings. A woman wearing a barbecue apron looked up, slightly startled to see the group cautiously approaching.

She flashed them a smile as her eyes swept over their ragged appearance. Her eyes then fixated on Judith in surprise. There was something in her look that made rick's blood run cold. The woman's smile didn't match the predatory glint in her eye. Rick's guard was up immediately, but for the sake of his sick child, he had to get her help.

"You look like you've been on the road a while" the woman said, her eyes flicking once again to their worn clothing.

"We have" Maggie said tiredly.

"We'll come on in, I'll make you a plate. My name is Mary, welcome to terminus."

***Can08writer***

The first hour in terminus went fairly well. Rick rejected the offer for food, holding Judith's leg up and asking them if they had a doctor. Mary checked out Judith's leg with a concerned look.

"Is that a bite?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"She was shot" Rick said gruffly, "she has a fever, it might be gettin' infected. Do you have antibiotics? Tylenol? Anything?"

"Wait here" Mary said, and she walked off into a building. A few of the others from Terminus were standing outside of buildings or sitting in chairs in the courtyard, observing the group curiously. A few were whispering and pointing, or staring. When Rick made eye contact with them they'd flash a smile or nod, but again there was no warmness in these people's eyes. It contrasted with the easygoing, visually pleasing aesthetic of Terminus.

After a few minutes, Mary returned with a bowl. Inside was some sort of paste.

"This is a poultice, it causes clotting to stop the bleeding, and it's also a pain reliever. Works pretty well. This is all we have."

Rick nodded, willing to try anything to help Judith. He held the girl up so she was sitting in his arms, and Mary smeared a generous amount of the substance on Judith's leg. The girl who was listless and in pain already, howled loudly at the old woman's ministrations.

"Oh it's okay little sweetie. I bet you're nice and sweet aren't you?" Mary cooed. "All chubby and sweet as pie. We'll find out won't we?"

Rick stared at Mary again, unsettled by her words. When the woman was done she wrapped a bandage around Judith's thigh.

"Thank you" Rick said softly.

"No. Thank you. We haven't seen a baby in quite a while. They're the sweetest little things aren't they? Quite the treat."

"Yea" Rick grumbled.

"So now that we've taken care of that, would you like a plate of food?" Mary asked.

"Why do you take people in?" Glenn asked, ignoring the woman's previous comments.

"When people join us, it makes us stronger" a man said, coming up behind the older woman and planting a kiss on her forehead.

"I'm Gareth. I heard we had some newcomers. And a darling little baby" he said, glancing at Judith.

"How were you able to… to keep all this?" Maggie asked, the first words she'd said in a long time.

"Well, it's the people. Every person is a resource. They add to our strength, one way or another. We made a place where everyone contributes in whatever way is best for the group."

"How do people contribute?" Glenn asked.

"Well, funny you asked, because I was just gonna talk to y'all about that. Now that the baby has her medicine. But first, you all must be hungry, traveling all that while. Come sit down, take a plate. We'll talk over barbecue."

Carl's stomach growled loudly. The group followed Gareth over to where a large piece of meat was roasting over the fire.

"Smells good" Glenn said, "do you have lots of animals around here?"

"Something like that" Mary said, cutting off a piece of the meat and dumping it into a plate for Carl. She then continued to cut pieces for everyone in the group.

"So how do people contribute?" Rick asked, his guard never dropping.

"Well, we have folks on perimeter watch who keep us safe, we have our sign makers who make the signs that undoubtedly brought you here, and we have people like our butchers and cooks, who feed us" Gareth said.

He nonchalantly leaned against a post that created an awning that blocked the sun over the barbecue grill. "And now, getting back to how you can contribute" he said, his eyes narrowing. "You can join us, or you can feed us."

***can08writer***

"You aint like how you was at the camp in Atlanta. A little mouse, scared of her own shadow" Merle said, as he and Carol watched Terminus through the scopes of their guns.

"It wasn't my shadow I was scared of, it was my husband's" Carol said gruffly, rolling her neck as she stared ahead.

"Yea, I remember him. He was an asshole."

"You weren't so great yourself" Carol quipped, and Merle let out a snort.

"Never said I was. But you either take me or leave me. I always been what I am. Never hid it. My baby brother though…" Merle said, and then allowed his sentence to fade away.

Carol looked away from her gun briefly to eye Merle. "Daryl was a good man" Carol said. "I'm sorry about what happened to him."

Merle didn't glance at her. "My baby brother tried to be like me, tough. But he always was a softie. Never had it in him. I tried to make him like me, but it never took."

"I'm glad" Carol said, and she continued looking through her scope.

Merle snorted again. "Yea, you're definitely different from how you was. Maybe you're a late bloomer."

"Maybe you are too" Carol said back.

A commotion drew their attention back towards Terminus. They could hear someone yelling in pain, and then gunfire.

"Something's happening" Carol said, moving her gun around to try and figure out where the noise was coming from.

"We ain't got a good vantage point. We gotta move" Merle said. The two of them picked up their guns and ran around the perimeter gate, trying to get a view of their group through the fence.

***can08writer***

When Gareth told them his group ate humans, Rick had immediately slapped Carl's plate from his hand and placed his children behind him. He'd tried to leave, but Gareth's people pulled guns and tried to force them all into a train car. Rick threw a knife that pierced Gareth's skull, and the termites had opened fire. Rick, Carl, Glenn, Maggie, and Judith ran through Terminus in terror, trying to avoid the bullets of the people who were shooting from the rooftops, although Rick noticed the bullets were aimed at their feet, not their heads.

They burst through the door of one of the buildings into a room full of lit candles. The group all paused to look around. There were names written on the floors and walls, and in large lettering, a sign that said ' _We First. Always.'_

"What is this?" Maggie asked disgusted, "is this all the people they've eaten?"

"I don't think they're trying to kill us. And if they don't want to kill us I think we all know what they want to do" Glenn said.

"We have to get over the fence" Carl said. "Or close enough to the fence for Merle and Carol to see us."

"Okay, we run for the fence. Don't stop, no matter what. Carl, you hold Judith. You just run, and I'll look out for anyone coming after us" Rick said.

"But they know where we are, they were shooting at us. They won't let us get there" Carl countered.

"Maybe a distraction will work" Rick said, looking around the room. He approached a large candelabra and knocked it over, sending candles and wax flying everywhere. Rick continued knocking and kicking candles over, and the flames ignited the old wooden floor. The rest of the group continued taking aim at the candles, Maggie was especially vicious, sending candles flying across the room, and purposely setting anything in the room on fire.

Once the fire took and began to make smoke, the group opened a door on the opposite side of the room and continued to run, gunshots once again following them but purposely missing them.

"There's the gate!" Rick yelled, pointing straight ahead. "Carl, go!"

Carl sprinted towards the gate with Judith in his arms. Bullets bounced off the concrete, and Rick tried his best to stay between Carl and the snipers on the roofs, shielding his son's body with his own. Glenn and Maggie were right behind him. As they approached the gate, suddenly they heard a rattle, and 5 people stood on the opposite side of the gate with their guns leveled at them.

Carl stopped short and Rick nearly crashed into him. Glenn grabbed Maggie's arm to slow her down and they realized they were surrounded on all sides.

"Turn around and face us" someone on the roof yelled. Rick glanced at his children. Carl was looking to Rick for a clue as to what to do next, but Rick was at a loss. Carol and Merle had the guns and the few bullets they had left, so the rest of them were helpless. He decided to stall until Carol and Merle who he knew was out there and probably were trying to figure out a plan, created a way for them to escape.

Rick slowly turned around with his hands up, and the rest followed suit. Mary stood above them on a roof with others, scowling down at them.

"You killed my son" she growled, pointing her gun at Rick. "It didn't have to be this way. You could've listened to what the world is telling you! You're either the butcher or the cattle. There's no in between. And now you've decided to be the cattle."

Glenn quickly caught Rick's eye and gestured with his head towards the building that had the candle room. Thick smoke was billowing from underneath the door. The building was burning.

"You. Ringleader", Mary said, gesturing towards Rick. "Put the baby down, and stand in front of that train car."

"No. She comes with me" Rick said defiantly.

"Put the baby down or I'll shoot her right now" the woman threatened.

Judith, sensing the tenseness in Rick's arm clung to him tighter and began to whine. She remembered the last time someone put her down on the floor and she wasn't having it.

"Please" Rick said, "please let her come with me, she's been through enough. She's scared."

"Put her down now!" Mary called. "And walk to that train car, or I'll kill the boy."

Glenn and Maggie both stepped in front of Carl to shield him. Rick, having no choice, slowly placed Judith on the ground and she screamed and clung to him desperately.

"It's okay sweetheart. It's okay, daddy's right here" he tried to comfort her, but her cries got louder, bouncing off the building's walls.

"Go on!" Mary yelled. Rick gave Carl another glance before slowly walking towards a train car whose doors were open. As he walked there he had to pass another train car, and he was shocked when he heard people banging on the walls in the inside screaming for help. Rick froze for a moment when he saw fingers and eyes peering out of the cracks in the doors at him.

"Help us!" They yelled. "Let us out!"

Rick continued to walk towards the open train car thinking _Where is Merle and Carol?_

***Can08writer***

"Over there" Merle called, the two of them following the gunshots to an area of the compound where train cars were stored. They could see Rick and the rest of the group running towards gates on the end of the compound, but stopping short when people with guns ambushed them from the opposite side of the fence. Carol spotted a few other people on the roofs, pointing their guns down at their group.

"Well shit, so much for this place" Merle said. "How 'bout I get the folks at the gate, you cover the ones on the roof?"

"No" Carol said. "We don't have the bullets for that. We have to do this smart."

Carol used her scope to survey the surroundings.

"There's a gas tank over there" Merle said, pointing. "You thinkin' we explode the tank, make a distraction, and pick the people off?"

"Well we need to distract these people somehow, just to get our group over the fence safely. Once the ones on the roof are distracted, we take out the ones by the gates and they can escape."

"Okay" Merle said, aiming for the gas tank, but before he could fire, the snipers on the roof began to shout at each other and point.

One of the buildings were on fire. A few of the people on the roof ran off to handle whatever was happening.

"This is it!" Carol yelled. "Take out the ones left on the roofs, I got the ones by the gates."

The two of them opened fired on the Termites, taking them by complete surprise. Rick, who was standing in front of the train car ran back to his children, scooping Judith off the ground, and holding on to Carl.

The people hiding behind the gates opened fire in the direction of Merle and Carol, and the group took the opportunity to run towards them. By the time they got there, all of the people at the gates were dead. Glenn hoisted Carl up, and the boy flipped over the top of the gate. Glenn then lifted Judith, and passed her to Carl who was on the other side. Rick and Glenn hoisted Maggie up the gate, followed by Glenn, and then Rick who Glenn helped pull over the top. Rick, Glenn, Maggie, and Carl grabbed the guns from the dead Termites at the gate, and ran towards the gunfire where Merle and Carol were hiding.

"Thanks for the save" Glenn huffed as they approached.

"Let's get the hell outta here" Merle said, ducking down as a new barrage of shots hit the trees around them.

"No" Rick said. "There are people trapped in those train cars, we get them out and they're on our side. We need people. And the rest of them, they don't get to live."

"What happened in there?" Carol asked.

"They're cannibals" Maggie said. "They eat people. They need to die. Rick is right. What if they come lookin' for us when we leave?"

"How d'you expect to go back in there and kill them all? In case you haven't noticed, we barely got y'all out."

"Guys?" Glenn said, pointing to the distance. They all turned their heads and saw a large herd of walkers heading towards the noise from the gunfire and the smoke from the fire.

"This is perfect" Rick said. "All we need to do is get them inside and they'll take care of everything for us."

"There's a gas tank" Carol said, pointing. "It'll blow down the gates. We were gonna use that as a distraction until the fire broke out."

"Ok. We blow down the gates, let the walkers in. Me, Glenn, and Merle will release the people from the train cars. Maggie, Carol, and Carl, you do sniper duty, watch our backs. We'll try to take out as many of their people as we can, but if the walkers start to swarm us we'll get out."

Everyone nodded at the hastily made plan, Rick quickly kissed Carl and Judith, and then he, Glenn, and Merle ran back towards Terminus' back gate. Carol aimed her weapon and in one shot punctured the gas tank which exploded with enough force to blow a hole in the surrounding gates and set everything nearby on fire.

The walker herd immediately started towards the explosion, their slow moving bodies stumbling forwards. The Termites on the roof had all dropped and taken cover from the explosion, and Rick, Glenn, and Merle took the lull in gunfire as an opportunity to climb the fence again and dash towards the train cars. There were two that were closed with a latch on the outside, and Merle went to open one while Rick ran towards another, and Glenn kept his gun raised in case the Termites started firing again.

As Rick approached he could hear the banging and yelling coming from inside the car. He pressed his mouth against the opening and hissed "Shhh, be quiet, walkers are coming, I'm letting you out!"

The banging immediately stopped and Rick slid the door open. He was shocked to see people packed inside the dark car. They raised their hands in front of their eyes as the sunlight filtered in. Rick could see untouched bowls of powdered milk on the floor of the train car, but most of the people were skin and bones.

Merle had opened the second train car releasing more people into the daylight. They were in various stages of starvation. Rick could tell some had been in that car much longer than others.

Once they recovered from the bright light, they streamed out of their prison, some running in any random direction. Others just standing there in shock.

"Hey! Hey wait!" Rick called. "You're gonna get killed!" but they didn't stop.

A few dozen stayed behind to see what Rick had to say, and he ushered them against the side of a building. "There's a herd of walkers headed this way and we're gonna get out of here, but before we do we need to kill the sons of bitches that locked you in there. We need your help though. We need you to help us find every one of them and make sure they're dead. Are you with us?"

A tall man who Rick could tell used to be very muscular before being locked in the train car stepped forward and held out his hand. "Thanks for letting us out. We're with you. I'm Tyrese. This is my sister, Sasha."

***can08writer***

Carl watched as his father's group freed the prisoners in the train cars and they poured out into the sunlight. Although some ran away, about thirty stayed. Carl kept his gun trained at the rooftops and took out a Termite that stood up.

"Good one" Maggie whispered to him as they watched the rooftops. Suddenly, the door of one of the buildings opened and four Termites with guns ran at the group of prisoners. Merle shot one of them, but the others opened fire on the group, causing everyone to scatter. Maggie, Carl, and Carol fired at the Termites, forcing them to hide behind the train cars to get out of the way, but all of a sudden the freed prisoners descended on the attacking Termites, punching and kicking them, and then snatching the weapons out of their hands and shooting them.

"Let's go!" Carl heard his father yell, and the group of thirty ran into Terminus on the hunt for any Termites that were still around. They were no longer in the view of his weapon.

"They can't stay long" Maggie said, pointing at the wave of walkers that were now entering the gates near the explosion. Many of the walkers went right through the fire, setting themselves and other walkers on fire. As the herd trampled through the hole in the gates, they spread the flames throughout Terminus, and within a matter of minutes there were fires breaking out everywhere.

Ten minutes later, Carl could hear gunfire rattling in various parts of the compound, but he no longer saw any Termites on the roofs or outside of the buildings. He didn't see his father or any of the prisoners either.

"Where are they?" Carl asked, "the walkers are getting worse, they need to get out now."

"They'll be out" Maggie whispered. "They'll be back soon."

They waited in silence, their guns trained on the compound that was now crawling in burning walkers.

"Over there!" Maggie yelled, pointing.

A large group of people were running towards the gates carrying guns and other items in their arms. They got to the gates and were throwing the items over before attempting to scale the fence. The walkers noticed them, and shuffled towards the fleeing prisoners, the fire on their bodies not ending their hunger for human flesh.

Carl opened fire on the walkers, giving the people time to flee. He spotted his father, helping to push a woman up and over the top of the fence. Two walkers were closing in on them, and Carl shot one in the shoulder, barely slowing it down. His second shot got the walker in the head, but it was his last bullet.

"Dad watch out!" Carl yelled, even though he knew Rick couldn't hear him over the walkers, and fires, and distance. Rick, hearing Carl's gun shots, turned around just as the second walker lunged at him. Rick pushed it up against the gate as it's jaws snapped at him. Tyrese grabbed the struggling walker from Rick, lifted it up by its legs and slammed its head into the ground, causing its head to smash open like a watermelon.

"Thanks!" Rick said.

"No problem" Tyrese replied as he and Rick both climbed up and over the gates.

The group, now 37 people strong, and loaded with food, clothing, water, and supplies, walked away from the burning compound of Terminus, not looking back. When Rick finally reunited with his children, he hugged Carl and Judith tightly, grateful that they were still alive.

"I think we got 'em all" Rick said to Carol, Maggie, and Carl. "If there are some hiding, they won't be for long."

The group set off through the woods, making their way away from the fire of Terminus. They found the shopping carts of the meager supplies that Rick and his group had hidden in the forest in case their encounter at Terminus went bad, and dumped all the things that the large group had taken from the collection tables that they'd found inside.

Teddybears, clothes, watches, cameras, weapons and anything else that they'd confiscated from their unwitting victims were sorted and stored for the Termites' use. The dolls and baby supplies caused Rick to shudder. There were no children in the train cars, so he guessed the fate of whatever children entered the gates of Terminus, and he pulled Judith closer to her chest. He felt the little girl's head, and glanced down at the poltice that Mary had put on her leg. Surprisingly, her fever had gone down a little. She was quiet, but glancing around her at all the new faces, wide eyed. Rick's heart hurt for what she had gone through in her short life so far.

The group walked for the rest of the day in no specific direction, until it was time to stop for the night.

That night, Tyrese suggested that they try to make their way to Washington D.C. He explained that was where he and Sasha were headed before they came upon Terminus and decided to visit. He mentioned that before all communication went dead he'd heard on the news there was a large refugee camp there, and with all the guns and security in that city, if there was a government left at all it would be there.

Rick realized that the decision couldn't and shouldn't be his alone. He didn't want the responsibility of leading all of these people to their deaths. He asked everyone to vote if they wanted to go or not, and since the majority agreed, they took off in the direction of Washington D.C. the next morning and didn't look back.

***can08writer***

Through various hardships and deaths, the group made it to Virginia. The trip solidified the bond between the group members, and they began to consider each other family. Rick never thought that people outside of those who left with him at the prison would be family, but the others, Tyrese, Sasha, and those who survived the trip to Virginia had all risked their lives for Rick, and Rick for them. They had even developed a motto, stolen from the monsters at Terminus. ' _Family first. Always'._

They found an old abandoned factory where they decided to hold up in while a scouting party went into Washington D.C. to assess the situation. The party returned 3 days later and informed the group that Washington was overrun. Their trip, and the losses they'd taken on the way was for nothing.

They decided to make the factory their headquarters. It was large enough for the family to spread out. It had fenced in areas where they could grow crops or keep livestock if need be, and it was large enough for them to expand their population.

Although Judith's recovery was rocky and painful, both she and Rick healed from their gunshot wounds, and Maggie slowly recovered from the loss of her father and sister. Rick's group started to grow vegetables, but getting crops going took months, and they hadn't been in Virginia long enough to depend on crops for food. They got most of their food from scavenging and hunting, but it was never enough.

A month after moving in to the factory, their people stumbled upon a town with high walls and sentries at the gates. Rick, Maggie, Tyrese, Merle and a few others approached the town cautiously, while a second group that included Carol, Glenn, and Sasha stayed unseen incase things went bad. Rick had learned his lesson from Terminus, but hoped that these people would be different. He could clearly hear children laughing and playing on the other side of the wall, and that was a good sign at least.

Rick and the others held their weapons up in the air as they approached the town's gates.

"Stop right there!" a man yelled down to them, holding a spear and aiming it at them.

"Hey, we don't mean any harm, we're here to try to make a deal with your people" Rick said. "We just want to talk to whoever is in charge. We're with another community…"

"They have guns!" another man yelled, "there's people with guns at the gate!"

A few more heads popped up from the look out post that the others were standing on.

"We don't mean any harm" Rick repeated.

"Drop your guns right now!" The first man called.

"I won't be doing that" Rick said. "If we were gonna start shooting we would've started."

"You give up your weapons, then we'll talk" the man said.

"Why don't you come down here and get em'?" Merle asked with a chuckle while he glanced at the spears and wooden weapons that these people were holding. "What you gonna do? Poke us to death?"

Rick turned around and held out a hand for Merle to be quiet. He didn't need him to make enemies of these people already.

"We are not your enemies, we're just trying to make a trade somehow. Maybe we have something you need, and you have something we need."

After a few seconds of staring, the sentries reluctantly opened the gates and Rick and his group walked into the town. The people looked at them in curiosity, and Rick suddenly had a flashback of walking into Terminus, but he didn't have that feeling in his gut that was telling him something wasn't right. Rick looked around at all the crops that these people were growing, and the livestock that they had. Compared to the amount of people living here, it seemed they had food to spare.

As they walked into the town, an older man with a suit jacket, button down shirt, and slacks approached them. His face was crinkled in disgust at the sight of the visitors before him.

Ignoring the look, Rick held out his hand. "My name is Rick, I come from a community…"

"I'm Gregory. I'm the boss here. What do you want?" he asked, looking Rick up and down. Rick withdrew his hand.

"Like I was saying, I come from a community and we are interested in…"

"We don't give out charity here" Gregory interrupted. We work hard for the food that we eat, and we don't have enough to give away things for free."

Rick took a moment to breathe before speaking to Gregory again. If this man interrupted him one more time he was about to get violent.

"I didn't ask you to give anything away for free" Rick said between clenched teeth. "I was saying we're interested in trading with your people. Maybe we can exchange items that we could part with, and both of our communities need."

Gregory scanned the rest of the people with Rick, the guns they were holding, and then Maggie. Gregory's eyes widened slightly, and Rick felt a gnawing feeling in his gut.

"Follow me" Gregory said, and he turned on his heel and made his way towards a huge multi story house. The inside was ornate, with antique rugs, mirrors, and furniture.

"This is Barrington house. Bet you've never seen anything as magnificent as this huh? Of course you haven't." Gregory turned around to look at Rick's group, and noticed their muddy shoes. "Richie, Why don't y'all go get cleaned up, hmm? Y'all go get clean, and when you've washed up you come back down here when you're ready. It's hard to keep this place clean."

Rick's face contorted into a growl and before he could open his mouth, Maggie stepped in. "Gregory, that's very kind of you to offer, but we can't stay here long. I understand you want to keep this place clean, so can we offer that you speak to one of us, and the rest of us will wait outside?"

Gregory's eyes scanned Maggie's body, and Maggie's eyes narrowed, but she maintained her calming presence.

"Sure young lady" Gregory said. He reached out and grabbed Maggie's hand, raising it to his lips and pressing a kiss to it. Maggie quickly snatched her hand away and wiped it on her pants. Rick's hand went to his gun, and Maggie held her hand up again to maintain the peace.

"I'd love to talk to you about this deal. What's your name?" Gregory asked.

"Maggie" she said.

"Margaret" Gregory said, opening his office door. "Come on in Margaret. The rest of you can wait on the porch."

Maggie turned to eye Rick and Merle who were scowling, and she rolled her eyes and then followed Gregory into his office.

Rick, Merle, and the others waited outside on the porch for Maggie to return. Five minutes in, Rick heard yelling coming from Gregory's office, and a crash. Rick cocked his gun and raced back inside the house, throwing open the office door to see Maggie with Gregory in a headlock, forcing his head down against the office desk.

"Help!" Gregory yelled, "H-help. This woman… she's trying to kill me! She's attacking me!"

"Maggie, what happened?" Rick asked, as she continued to press Gregory's head down.

"He tried to touch me. He tried to kiss and… and grab me. He said he'd agree to the trade if I made it worth his while, if I spent some one on one time with him to hash things out…"

"I… I didn't mean anything by it!" Gregory said, and Maggie slammed his face into the desk again.

"You're a creep!" Maggie said.

Rick had a flashback to the night that Beth died, when he almost saw Beth and Carl raped in front of him, when the men even threatened to molest his baby daughter. Men like these were what was wrong with the world. Using their power to subjugate others. Rick unholstered his gun and grabbed Gregory who Maggie quickly released. He pressed his gun to Gregory's head.

"I'll kill you for what you tried to do" he growled, "I'll kill you." Rick grabbed Gregory at gunpoint and dragged him onto the porch of Hilltop. The people who were nearby stared in shock.

"W-wait now Ricky, let's not get ahead of ourselves, it was just a misunderstanding. I think Margaret interpreted what I said incorrectly. I… I was just..."

"Do you want me to tell your people who you really are?" Rick growled.

Some of the people from Hilltop approached Rick's group with spears at the ready, and in return, Rick's group cocked and pointed their weapons.

"Look, we can come to some sort of deal. That's what you came here for, right? What do you want to offer?"

"Your people will give us food and supplies. A truck a month. In return, we'll keep your roads clear."

"Sure… sure Ricky… um… Rick. That's a deal." Gregory said, his eyes flitting back and forth between Rick and his gun. Rick removed his gun from Gregory's head and pushed the man, causing him to fall against the side of the house. Maggie gave Gregory one last glare before she and the rest of Rick's group stalked towards the front gates. The residents of Hilltop all moved out of the way, and the gates were opened, as the armed group marched from Hilltop. When they met up with Glenn, Carol, Sasha and the others, Glenn asked "Did everything go okay? Do we have a deal?"

Maggie rolled her eyes and grabbed Glenn's hand. "Yea" she said, "we have a deal."


	5. Chapter 5

Michonne's eyes snapped open when she heard footsteps approaching her cage. She was sitting on the small wooden bench, her back leaning against a steel locker, her hands still handcuffed behind her. Although she hadn't been sleeping completely, she did tune out for a few minutes to her complete surprise. It wasn't like her to relax in the presence of her enemies.

"Stand up" a smaller woman ordered Michonne from the other side of the cage. The woman's dark brown eyes looked Michonne up and down. Her kinky hair was braided into a short french braid, and she held a rifle that was half her size. She looked like a force to be reckoned with, but on the other hand, so was Michonne.

Michonne sat quietly on her bench and studied the woman. She wanted to be defiant, but for what? She had agreed to come here, she had offered herself to these people in exchange for a trade deal with Alexandria, and if she hadn't they probably all would be dead. She sighed slightly but stood as directed.

"You give us any trouble and I will end you" the woman warned before swinging the cage door open. "Come with me."

Michonne held her bound hands behind her as she followed the woman out of the cell and into a long hallway. Others who were going about their business in the factory shot Michonne dirty looks, but they didn't do more than that as she kept pace behind the gun toting woman. After a brief walk, she finally opened a door and entered it, holding it open for Michonne to follow.

Michonne stepped into a room designed for meetings. A large table took up the majority of the room, with 10 chairs that surrounded it and made it even more cramped. A window on one side let in a little light, but the room was still dank, overcrowded, and gray. Michonne's eyes swiveled from side to side in hypervigilance.

She noticed Rick standing by the chair at the head of the table, and when she saw who was standing next to him shock and then rage flooded her body. She instinctively tried to reach for her sword, but her handcuffs and the fact that she was unarmed frustrated her further. Still, she ran at Merle full force before Sasha or Rick could stop her. Taking him by surprise, she crashed her shoulder into his chest, making him bowl over in pain, and then slammed her knee into his crotch.

"Fuck!" Merle screamed, and Sasha came up behind Michonne and grabbed her arm, pulling her back, but Michonne shook herself free and launched another kick at Merle's legs.

"Stop it!" Rick shouted, wedging himself between Michonne and Merle, "calm down!"

"He tried to kill me!" Michonne screamed, trying her best to maneuver around Rick to get at Merle again. Rick was amazed at how much fight she had, even while handcuffed. Sasha grabbed Michonne's arm again, but she slipped out a second time.

"Hey! Hey!" Rick shouted at her, and then he grabbed Michonne's wrist tightly. An electricity she had never felt before tingled up her arm at his touch. It was enough to command her attention, and her eyes snapped to his in shock. His blue eyes held her gaze for a few seconds longer than she liked, but she snatched her arm out of his grip.

"Don't you ever touch me again!" she shouted at him while retreating backwards a few steps.

Merle painfully pulled himself into an upright position, still protectively shielding his crotch. "Goddamn girl, still got that spunk huh?" Merle muttered.

"You know her?" Rick asked Merle, still trying to figure out the connection between the two. "You could say that" Merle admitted.

Rick looked back at Michonne, but she only stared at Merle, her eyes wide and her lip turned up in a snarl.

"This bitch was in Woodbury with me and Andrea. We picked the two of 'em up together." Merle confirmed.

"You knew Andrea?" Rick asked Michonne.

Michonne's eyes widened more. _Knew?_

"Yup she did" Merle answered for her. "She and Blondie spent the winter together. All cuddled up in the forest. My Nubian queen here had two pet walkers. No jaws, kept them in chains."

Both Michonne and Sasha's eyes narrowed simultaneously at Merle's 'Nubian Queen' comment. Realizing he'd pissed the both of them off, Merle raised his one hand. "Didn't mean nothin' by it. But she was Andrea's bestie until she up and left Woodbury."

Michonne was burning with curiosity about how Rick seemed to know Andrea, and why they were using the past tense when it came to her, but her hatred for Merle kept her focused.

"Why did you attack him?" Rick asked her about Merle.

"Why are you even asking her?" Sasha asked, annoyed. "She and her people killed a bunch of our people. Why are we even keeping her here? We should've shot her and gotten it over with." Rick studied Sasha for a moment. Ever since she'd lost her brother Tyrese, and her boyfriend Bob to walker bites, she had been cold. She was constantly angry and he knew it was how she dealt with her grief.

Michonne turned around to look at Sasha who stared back.

"Hey, look at me" Rick said again, demanding Michonne's attention. "Why did you attack him?"

"He. Tried. To _kill_ me." Michonne emphasized again.

"Obviously I didn't finish the job" Merle said, his eyes wandering down to her thigh where he knew she'd been hit. "I'm surprised you're alive, looked like I got ya good."

"Why did you try to kill her?" Rick asked, intrigued by this story.

"Governor wanted her dead. She threatened him with her sword. I didn't ask questions beyond that."

"Where's Andrea?" Michonne asked Merle, her skin still crawling at the sight of him, but she had to know what had become of her friend.

"She's dead" Rick answered, and Michonne's eyes returned to him again. "The Governor shot her himself, right in the chest."

Michonne sucked in a breath at the news. Andrea was dead. Shot by the very man Michonne had tried to warn her about. The fact that she was right all along didn't take away the sadness that welled up in her at the thought of what had become of her friend. She could feel her eyes begin to itch, a sure signal that she'd start crying soon, but she instantly pushed all of that down. Now was not the time.

Rick didn't miss the fact that Michonne was trying to hold back tears. He noticed her constant blinking, and the way she kept swallowing. She obviously had a deep connection with Andrea, one that Rick was fascinated to learn more about, but they had more pressing matters.

"Merle, you alright?" Rick asked, as the man finally seemed to be able to stand upright normally.

"Just fine" Merle said with a long look at Michonne. "Been quite a while since a woman's done me in that badly. Actually… the last woman to kick my ass was you. Glad to see you're consistent."

Michonne glared as Merle chuckled to himself.

"Sit down" Rick ordered Michonne, gesturing to a chair at the table.

She cut her eyes at Merle one more time before slowly lowering herself into a chair.

Rick nodded at Sasha that she could leave, and then sat in the chair at the head of the table, across from Michonne. Merle chose to stand behind Rick, which annoyed Michonne greatly.

 _So now he's someone else's lap dog_ Michonne thought.

"We went back to your town to look for some things that'd be of interest to us. The only thing your people have a lot of is guns." Michonne looked on quietly as Rick spoke. "So that's what we're gonna take."

"Take?" Michonne asked.

"Yea. As payment for the slaughter of my people."

"That's not what we agreed to" Michonne said firmly. "That's not why I'm here. We're _trading_ , which means you give us something back in exchange."

"I don't think you're in the position to argue…"

"I don't think you know who you're dealing with" Michonne said, cutting him off. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "My people agreed to _trade_ with yours. If you're going back on the deal then I'm leaving. You say my people don't have anything to trade but guns. What do _your_ people have? Obviously not much if you're so dependent on Hilltop. But it's in both of our interests to make this work, because if you try to take from my people, they will fight back. And you've already seen what we can do."

Rick clasped his hands together and leaned towards Michonne. "Are you threatenin' me?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Are you threatening _me_?" Michonne countered, her stare just as intense.

Merle looked back and forth between the two with a smirk, enjoying the show, and interested to see what would happen next. The tension in the air was palpable. The two of them stared each other down for a few more seconds, until Rick broke their stare first.

"So what do you suggest we trade then?" he asked, folding his hands and leaning backwards.

"Your people have guns, but do you have bullets?" Michonne asked. "Guns without bullets are pretty useless."

"And your people know a place we can get them?"

"Let's just say we can supply you with them."

"How?" Rick asked.

"That's our business. But if we traded bullets with you, what could you give _us_?"

Rick glanced over at Merle who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Merle could sense the tension between the two at the table, but he could also sense something else between them. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the way they spoke to each other revealed more than the words they were saying.

"We have clothing" Rick said to Michonne. "We can trade that."

"Clothing for bullets?" Michonne asked skeptically, turning her head to the side.

"You wanna prevent a war, right?" Rick asked.

Michonne narrowed her eyes at Rick. She knew that her people were getting the short end of the deal, but she also realized she didn't have much to bargain with. It was clear Rick's people outnumbered her own, and she didn't want to get her people into a situation worse than they already were in.

"Fine" she said, "but let me tell my people what the deal is."

"Hell no. She ain't goin' back there" Merle cut in.

Ignoring Merle, Michonne continued to talk to Rick. "Let me talk to them. If they see I'm okay, and that we have a deal, they may be more cooperative."

"I'll think about it" he responded quickly, almost cutting her off. Michonne furrowed her brow and looked off to the side in annoyance at his dismissive tone.

"You gonna tell me where your people get their bullets from?" Rick asked.

Michonne smirked and shook her head from side to side. "Just know we have them, and know how to get more."

Rick had to admit, the woman before him was smart, and knew how to bargain. She had to be the leader of the town, the way she was fearless, and respected by the others around her. She was the only one to come up with a plan the night before, and even though she was alone here at the factory, she held her own, even when surrounded by enemies. Even Merle seemed to have a begrudging respect for her.

Rick abruptly stood, causing Michonne's body to tense. He realized he'd startled her, and instinctively began to apologize when he stopped himself.

"Stand up" he commanded her again. She slowly stood, her hands still handcuffed behind her back. Rick walked over to the door and gestured with his head, "follow me".

He led Michonne back to her cage and stood behind the open door, waiting for her to enter. Reluctantly, Michonne stepped inside, but when she passed Rick he held her wrist that was behind her back. Again she felt the jolt of electricity run up her arm, and she spun around angrily.

"Sorry!" Rick said when he realized he'd touched her after she told him not to. "I just wanted to take them off" he said about her handcuffs.

Michonne slowly turned back around and allowed Rick to uncuff her. She couldn't believe how sensitive she was to his touch. Just the few seconds that their skin met caused her to flush a deep red. She was thankful that her skin tone hid the reaction she was having to him.

It wasn't like she hadn't been touched by anyone in a long time. Negan had touched her lots of times, but she'd never felt anything like she felt when Rick touched her. She didn't even know how to describe it.

 _Get a grip Michonne. He's literally holding you prisoner. This is not the time to catch feelings._

She spun back around and he was still standing in front of the cage door, watching her.

"While you're here, no one will hurt you. That is, unless you try somethin' stupid. Or your people try somethin'. I'll find someplace for you to sleep. I know that bench isn't very comfortable. If you cooperate, you'll be alright. More than I can say for _my_ people" Rick threw in.

Michonne took his jab at her with a nod, she knew she deserved it. She stepped away from the cage door and Rick closed and locked it. He stood there a second longer as if debating if he should say more, but he turned and walked away.

***can08writer***

"Explain to me again why that girl is here?" Merle asked, crossing his arms against his chest. "She and her buddies slaughtered our people. Including Glenn in case you forgot. But you just have her taking up space in our storage locker."

"We have a deal with her people."

" _We_ have the advantage, we don't need a deal. We go to their town, take 'em out. Take what we need, call it a day. Hilltop will fall back in line with them gone. Just like before."

"We're not gonna do that" Rick said.

"And why the hell not? We got the people."

"We can get more out of this new group if they're alive. Especially if they know where to get bullets. You know we're almost out. That has to be how they killed off our people at the outpost so easily, they must've run out of ammunition. If we use up the last of our bullets to kill the Alexandrians, what's gonna happen when Hilltop decides to rebel against us again? What's gonna happen when they realize we have no more ammunition to clear their roads? No. She offered us bullets and we can't refuse. Really, it's the one thing we need right now."

"So the fact that you're sweet on her got nothin' to do with it then?" Merle asked.

Rick tried to look surprised at Merle's words, but he never was a good liar. He was just disappointed he hid it so poorly.

"Hmmph" Merle grunted. "She's already got you under her spell."

"We _need_ this deal" Rick said harshly, ignoring Merle. He and Merle had grown to realize that they needed each other to survive, but it was a love/hate relationship. Merle had saved Rick's life on many occasions on the road, and Rick had saved his as well, but there were always times when each wondered why they bothered to put up with the other.

Merle smirked at Rick, seeing that he was getting under Rick's skin.

"Fine. Keep the deal with that girl, but think with your head and not your dick."

***can08writer***

After Rick left, Michonne sat on the bench in her cell and was left alone with her thoughts. She knew her people were depending on her to make this deal work. If the amount of people she'd seen in the factory was any indication, Rick had enough people to destroy Alexandria twice over.

The people at Hilltop were no help to them, they were the ones who'd hired the Alexandrians for help. She knew that finding a trade deal was the only way to prevent her people from being slaughtered. Eugene, one of the Alexandrians, had brought up the idea of making bullets months ago. He said he'd seen a bullet manufacturing factory in the yellow pages not too far away from the town and he'd thought he could figure out how to do it. No one took him too seriously, but now Michonne was counting on his theory to become a reality.

They had to find a way to make bullets. It was the only thing Alexandria had to trade. Eugene had never been a man to do well under pressure, but she hoped he could handle it and come through.

A movement out of the corner of her eye caught Michonne's attention. A small figure was making its way towards her, she recognized the outline of his Sheriff's hat. She stared at the small boy as he walked up to her cage silently, his right hand drumming on the handle of a pistol that was strapped to his belt.

 _Rick lets this kid walk around with a gun?_ She thought. Then again, the kid looked like he could handle himself. He wore a Rocket Dog shirt and jeans, with his oversized Sheriff's hat. Something a kid his age would wear. But the serious, calculating expression on his face sent shivers down Michonne's spine. She could tell he'd seen his fair share of violence, and he wasn't fully a child.

For a brief moment she wondered if Andre had survived this world, would he be like that too? A child in body, but a hardened survivor in his mind? She hoped he wouldn't've, but she knew that this world was no place for a child's innocence.

The boy stood in front of her cage glaring and tapping on his gun. His eyes bounced back and forth as they searched her own, as if he were trying to make a decision. He stood there for a few minutes as Michonne stared back.

"Take a picture next time, it lasts longer" she said in regards to his staring.

He blinked rapidly and then narrowed his eyes again, resting his hand firmly on his gun.

"I'm deciding if I should kill you" he said, tilting his head as he stared. Michonne nodded in understanding.

"And?"

"I think maybe I will. You killed a bunch of our people."

"I did" Michonne confirmed.

"You deserve to die."

"Maybe" Michonne answered.

"Aren't you scared?" Carl asked.

"No, not really" Michonne admitted, "but I don't think killing me would be smart on your part."

Carl held on to the bars of the cage with his left hand, while his right still rested on his gun. "Why not?" he asked.

"Well, for one thing, if you kill me I'll haunt you forever. If you think the walkers are bad, imagine a ghost that you _can't_ kill. If you kill me, I will spend every moment of my afterlife following you, and trying to scare you. Especially at night when you're all alone. I will spend every bit of energy I have jumping out at you and driving you crazy. You'll regret the day you killed me. Really, the satisfaction of murdering me is not worth the grief I'll give you."

Carl stared at Michonne for a moment in disbelief. He couldn't believe she was really joking with him. A small smile involuntarily slid across his lips.

"A ghost? _Really_?" he scoffed disbelievingly.

"Yup" she said. "It's probably better for you if you leave me alive and in this cage. Less stress."

The boy slowly removed his right hand from his gun and sat on some equipment across from the cage, crossing his arms against his chest.

"You killed our people. My dad should've killed you out there. He shouldn't've brought you back here."

"Is that what _you_ would've done if you were him?"

Carl snorted at her question. "Yea. I already know you can't leave bad people alive. You'll always regret it later on."

"That's smart" Michonne agreed, "but your dad seems smart too. He seems to know what he's doing."

Carl narrowed his bright blue eyes at Michonne distrustfully. "Why'd you do it? Attack us? We didn't do anything to you. And you killed good people."

Michonne looked away from the boy. She had been asking herself the same thing. When she and Negan had agreed to Jesus' deal she understood why she was doing it. Jesus said the Hilltop was being controlled by a bully, it seemed straightforward. To the Hilltoppers, Rick and The Family were conquerors. But now, she couldn't help but think all of their problems could've been solved if they'd just talked to each other.

"It was a misunderstanding" she admitted. "We didn't know who you were. We assumed we did… your people weren't innocent, but what my people did wasn't right either. Everyone is just trying to survive. Haven't you hurt someone because you thought you had to?"

The boy's eyes suddenly went dark. He dropped his crossed arms, and looked down at the floor, slightly kicking at the concrete with his sneakers. In that moment, Michonne remembered she wasn't speaking to a battle hardened survivor, but a young kid who was pretending to be a man.

"I've hurt people before. I've killed people. They deserved it. If I didn't do it they would've hurt me, or my dad, or my sister."

Michonne was surprised to hear the boy had a sister. _Rick had two children in the midst of all of this? How did he keep them alive?_

Carl spoke as he stared down at the floor. "I killed them so they wouldn't kill me. Some men on the road, they tried to… they would've hurt me… I don't feel bad about what I did to _them_. But my mom…"

Michonne's heart dropped at the agony on the boy's face.

"I killed her. So she wouldn't turn. I think about it all the time."

No wonder the kid acted so tough. He _was_ tough. She could tell he'd been through some things, but she'd had no idea how much. He'd shot his own mother? Where was Rick? Why didn't he protect him?

"That must've been hard" Michonne said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry."

"My dad doesn't believe in heaven anymore. Or God. I heard him say that once when he didn't think I was listening. But sometimes, sometimes I want to. I want my mom to be there. It's so sad if she's not. If she's really just… gone. Do you believe in heaven?" he asked Michonne.

"I don't know. I used to, but I stopped believing when I saw what the world had become. But I hope I'm wrong. I hope everyone who died, even the walkers, are happy somewhere else. If there's a heaven, there's some hope that I'll see my son again some day, and I want to believe that."

Carl slowly rolled his eyes upwards to meet Michonne's. After a few seconds he nodded and began to walk away from her.

"Hey kid" she called, and he turned around sharply.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Carl" he replied, "what's yours?"

"Michonne" she answered. "Do you still want to kill me?"

"Not today" he replied, and walked off.

***can08writer***

Negan paced back and forth in one of Alexandria's brownstones as a handful of Alexandrians deliberated what they should do next. The Family had been watching them like hawks ever since they returned to their town under armed guard. The Family's forces were set up around town to make sure the Alexandrians didn't get any ideas about attacking them again, and the townspeople were forbidden to congregate in large groups. Which is why they had to sneak secret meetings in smaller groups and then spread the word from mouth to mouth.

In this particular meeting, Negan was joined by Spencer, Olivia, Denise, Eugene, and a few other nameless Alexandrians, all of which he'd had enough of.

"They have guns" Olivia whispered, her eyes glazing over with tears. "What can we possibly do?"

"We have guns too" Spencer said, "but they're watching everything we do. They're watching the armory. I don't see how we can get to them. And even if we did, they outnumber us." Spencer turned towards Negan. "You should've known all this before you made that deal with Jesus. You put us in the middle of this mess. I think this deal with The Family, this trade, is the only thing keeping us alive right now. Michonne being with them is keeping us alive."

Negan spun on Spencer, his rage finally finding a target to release on. "No one could've fucking known how many people they had. Even Jesus didn't know that. And Michonne is NOT staying with them. I've sat here and listened to y'all do nothing except talk about how scary The Family is for the past 20 fucking minutes. What ideas do you have about getting Michonne back? None? Well fuck y'all then. I'm gonna go _get_ her back whether you whiny ass cowards are on board or not."

"Negan, you can't! You'll put us all in danger!" a man said.

"If you think I'm gonna let that man keep her as a prisoner as we all sit here and twittle our thumbs, you got another fucking thing coming." Negan said, his anger radiating off of him in waves. He felt guilty for agreeing to Jesus' plan, guilty for dragging Michonne into it, and guilty for not realizing how badly thought out the attack on the outpost and The Family in general was. And now Michonne was paying for his thoughtlessness. He wouldn't have it. He would get her back or die trying. "Are any of y'all coming with me? Or do I have to do this whole fucking thing by myself?"

The others bowed their heads, unable to look Negan in the eyes.

"Negan, Michonne wouldn't want…" Spencer began, but Negan who was just looking for someone to unleash on, made a fist and whacked Spencer across the face, dropping him to the ground like a rock.

"Fucking pussies" Negan cursed, as he stormed out of the townhouse.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note: Thank you to every single person that has written me a review for any of my stories. I appreciate you all and value hearing from you.**_

It took another day for Negan to find a good time to make his escape. The Family was everywhere, guarding the gates and the Alexandrians. They were free to move about their own town, but no one was permitted to leave. They still hadn't been told what the deal between their communities was, or what Michonne's status was, but The Family pretty much left them alone as long as they didn't congregate together in groups too large. But, the guards were helping themselves to Alexandria's food stores, much to the chagrin of the residents.

One night Negan saw his opportunity when the guards were distracted, to climb up the supports on Alexandria's high fences, and get out unseen. Since he was alone he moved quickly, dashing into the woods around the town.

Staying in the woods for cover, he made his way down the road leading away from Alexandria, going for a few miles. When the sun began to rise, he enacted his plan.

He made as much noise as he dared to make without alerting lookouts from Alexandria, singing and whistling loudly. Walkers in the nearby area were attracted to the noise, and he easily took them out with a baseball bat he'd found in a backyard in Alexandria. He began piling their bodies by the side of the road. It was well into the morning when he had enough to satisfy him.

He dragged the corpses across the road, piling them next to each other creating a road block, and then he waited. The sun beat down on him through the cracks between the leaves as he lurked in the forest for hours, giving him time to think.

While he was waiting, his bored mind turned to Michonne. She'd been with these people for three days already and they'd heard no news from or about her. He thought that Rick would come to Alexandria, pick out what he wanted, and demand that they trade for it. Negan was surprised and worried that Rick had been silent for so long. He'd tried to ask some of The Family that were in Alexandria, but they'd told him that Rick would contact the Alexandrians about the deal when he was ready. And all this time Michonne was their prisoner.

Michonne had changed the trajectory of his life after the fall. His wife, Lucille, had gotten bitten early on, and after her death he didn't see the point of living. He had wandered through the woods, trying to avoid walkers and other people. He'd gotten good at it, going so deep into survival mode that he'd managed to avoid others for weeks before he'd found Michonne. He was seriously considering putting an end to it all before he'd found her, and if she had told him she didn't want his help, if she'd said she'd rather him let her die, he probably would've ended himself right along with her. But she didn't. She had wanted to live. She let him help her, and by doing that he'd helped himself. He'd never told her, but in finding and saving her, she had saved him too, and he owed her for that.

He had to get her out of there.

Suddenly, Negan heard the sound of a car approaching. The car drove up to the bodies making the blockade and then paused, it's front bumper inches from the first walker. The driver stayed in the vehicle and stared for a minute. They then put the car in park and climbed out, gun drawn. It was a woman with blond hair tied back in a ponytail. She looked scrappy, and had a barcode tattoo on the side of her neck.

She scanned her surroundings, missing Negan who was hiding behind two trees close to the road. The woman knew something was up. She slowly approached the walkers, kicking one with the side of her shoe.

"What the fuck?" she asked herself softly.

She bent down a little to take a closer look at the walker's bashed in head, when Negan came up behind her and knocked her gun out of her hand with his baseball bat. It went skidding across the concrete. She dove for it, but Negan landed on top of her with a thud, pressing her into the ground.

"You wanna live? I'd suggest you stop fighting me" he declared, holding his bat over her head. The woman narrowed her eyes at him, but relaxed her arms.

"You're one of those Alexandrians aren't you? I remember you. I told Rick he had to be crazy to make a deal with you people after you attacked us and I was right. You people are fucking animals" she growled.

"You're breaking my fucking heart" Negan said, climbing off the woman and pulling her to her feet. He spotted a knife strapped to her side, and snatched it before she could make a move. He motioned that she should stay where she was, and he quickly bent to retrieve her gun. He pointed the gun at her and forced her into the driver's side of the car as he simultaneously got into the passenger side.

"Take me to Rick" he demanded.

***can08writer***

The woman reluctantly drove Negan back towards the factory, stopping a half mile away, but close enough that Negan could see the top of the tall building.

"That's it? That's where you live?" he asked.

"Obviously" the woman said rolling her eyes.

"Are there people on guard?" Negan asked.

"What do _you_ think?" she asked sarcastically, tilting her head in Negan's direction.

Negan chuckled. "You know, you're a smartass. I like that."

"Glad I can make your day" the woman said, looking upwards at the car's roof. "Look, you gonna kill me now? 'Cuz I'd rather that happen then have to sit in the car with you any longer."

"Holy fuck" Negan said. "I like you like 50% more now. Was I really such a horrible road trip partner?"

"Look, I brought you where you wanted to go. What do you want from me?" the woman asked.

"Just tell me your name" Negan said.

"It's fucking Laura" she said with an attitude.

Negan gave her a smile. "Well thank you Laura. You've been a very helpful chauffeur. And because I like you so much, I'm not gonna kill ya. But I do need you to take a nap" he said, pistol whipping her on the back of the head and knocking her out cold.

Negan carefully dragged Laura from the driver's seat, and laid her in the back seat of the car. He then turned the car around and drove off to look for more walkers.

***can08writer***

As Rick promised, he'd found a place for Michonne to sleep. It was practically a closet with a cot, but it was better than the cage and she was grateful for that.

In the mornings Sasha or Rick himself would let her out of her "room" and take her to the cage where she was confined. Although these people weren't harming her or handcuffing her anymore, she was nowhere near free, and she was extremely bored.

Carl had made a habit of coming to visit her cage from time to time. Sometimes he'd stare at her while she did her morning exercises, other times he'd start a brief conversation, or bring her food.

"Do you have anything to read?" Michonne asked Carl.

"Like what?" he asked from his usual spot across from her cage.

"I don't know, anything. There's only so many push-ups I can do before I go crazy."

"Do you read comic books?" Carl asked.

"Yea sure. I love comic books" Michonne said.

Carl's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yea, why do you look so surprised?" Michonne said with a shrug.

"I've never met a grown-up that likes comic books" Carl said.

"Really? What's not to like? Action, adventure, cool characters..."

"Okay" Carl said with a smile. "I found some good ones a while ago. I read them all already, but you can read them. And maybe we can talk about it after?"

Michonne smiled at the boy's eagerness. "Sure, it's a date."

Carl nodded at Michonne. "Okay I'll go get them."

When he walked off, Michonne decided to get a few crunches in. She got on the floor and began her routine, when Merle walked by her cage and helped himself to a seat across from her.

"Smart to stay fit" Merle commented as he plopped himself down. "Don't leave out the cardio."

Michonne ignored him and continued with her crunches.

"Y'know, if we're gonna live under the same roof, we might as well clear the air. That whole hunting you down thing, it was just business. Carrying out orders."

Michonne paused in the middle of her crunch and scoffed sarcastically.

"Hmm. Like the Gestapo."

"Yeah. Exactly" Merle said, her sarcasm completely lost on him.

Michonne rolled her eyes and continued her workout.

"I've done a lot of things I ain't proud of. Before and after. I'm tryin' to make up for some of that now. But I guess you never can make up for it all, y'know?"

Merle sighed.

"Anyway, I hope we can get past it. Let bygones be bygones." Merle said, and then he walked off.

Michonne paused for a moment after he left. She couldn't believe Merle was giving her what amounted to an apology. She never thought she'd see the day.

Out of nowhere, Rick approached the front of the cage. She figured he'd heard the whole conversation between sheand Merle. She pulled herself to her feet but said nothing to him.

"Uh, here's your breakfast" he said, awkwardly sticking his hand through the cage bars to pass her a bowl. Michonne looked from his eyes to the bowl and back, and then slowly took the bowl from him.

"I… uh… I've decided to take you back to your community. Just so you can tell them the terms of our agreement. Then you'll come back here" Rick said.

"So I'm still your insurance" Michonne confirmed.

"Yea" Rick said, staring into her eyes. Michonne found herself staring back at his startling blue eyeballs. They were mesmerizing. She got so lost in them she was no longer blinking. When Michonne said nothing further, Rick cleared his throat.

"Uh, so we're going soon. Eat your breakfast and get ready" Rick ordered, although he had stopped blinking as well.

He couldn't stop looking at her toned body, her flawless skin, and her beautiful eyes. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he had been watching her morning exercises every morning that she'd been there. The strength that she had in her arms and legs was amazing. He was sure she could do more push-ups than he could, and the way she kicked Merle's ass while handcuffed was a testament to that.

The two of them stared for a while, neither one backing down, until the sound of Carl's sneakers pounding on the cement floor loudly made his presence known.

"So I've got two issues of Flashpoint, and I found the Punisher! This one is really…" Carl started talking before he could see the cage, and when he realized his father was there he paused with the comics in his hand, as if he'd been caught red handed.

"I was just keeping an eye on her, to make sure she didn't try anything and… she... she said she wanted something to read…" Carl began to explain.

Rick smiled briefly at his son. "It's okay. Thank you for keeping an eye on her" Rick humored, realizing his son was embarrassed about being nice to the prisoner. "You can give her the books, but after we come back. I'm taking her back to her community for a little while."

"You're letting her go?" Carl asked, looking concerned.

"No. She's coming back here" Rick said firmly, glancing at Michonne.

Carl looked at Michonne and then back at Rick. He nodded once and then turned around to leave, taking his comic books with him. As Carl walked away, Rick called him.

"Hey Carl, keep an eye…" Rick began.

"On Judith" Carl finished, "I know."

Carl was almost out of the room when all three of them heard yelling coming from outside.

"What the hell?" Rick asked, before turning and running out of the room. Carl followed behind his father, as did everyone else, leaving Michonne alone to wonder what was happening. Michonne could clearly hear shots being fired from outside, and a woman's voice yell "don't shoot! You're drawing more!"

Michonne paced back and forth in her cage, feeling like a trapped animal. She didn't like not knowing what was going on, and even if she did know, not being able to do anything about it. Soon she could hear the sounds of walkers moaning outside. It seemed like The Family was under attack. Practically everyone had run outside.

After a few minutes, Carl ran back into the large room where Michonne was being held.

"Hey, Carl! What's happening?" Michonne asked, desperate for information.

"There're walkers everywhere, they're pushing on the gates. Everyone is trying to kill them."

"Let me help" Michonne demanded, grabbing on to the cage door. "I can help you."

Carl stopped what he was doing and looked at Michonne. "I can't let you out."

"Look, if I wanted to get away I would. I'm here because I want a better future for my people. I'm not going anywhere. Let me help you with this."

Carl stared at Michonne suspiciously.

"You're a good judge of character. After you talked to me you didn't want to kill me anymore. You can tell if I'm good or bad. I'm telling you, I can help."

Carl gazed into Michonne's eyes, trying to read her intentions. He wasn't afraid of her, and he didn't think she would hurt him, or the others. He was willing to take a chance on her. He stepped forward and unlocked the storage locker, swinging the gate open.

"Come on" he said, turning towards the front door.

"I need my sword" Michonne said.

***can08writer***

"Cover the gates on the west side of the factory" Rick directed a small group. "Make sure we're not overrun over there too."

He was baffled as to how a sudden herd showed up at his door, but there were now dozens of walkers pushing and leaning on their fences. He and his people were desperately shoving knives and tools through the fence to kill the gnashing walkers. After shoving his knife through an especially decomposed walker's eye, he saw the door to the factory open and Carl come bounding out holding a long crowbar. When Rick saw Michonne exit behind Carl with her sword, he spun around and sprinted towards her, pulling his gun.

"Hey! Hey! Drop it!" Rick yelled, startling both Michonne and Carl. "Put it down right now."

Carol and Sasha were next to Rick within seconds with their guns trained on Michonne. Michonne's eyes widened, but she didn't put her sword down, she just lowered it to show she wasn't a threat.

"Dad, it's okay" Carl explained, "she's just helping us".

"Put it down. Now." Rick said.

"I'm trying to help" Michonne said, gazing into Rick's eyes. "If I wanted to hurt you or your son, I would've done it inside, or held him hostage. All of you have guns, I have a sword. I don't think it'll be a fair fight if I start something."

"She's lying" Carol said.

"I'm not. Look, you have a problem and it's getting worse as we stand here arguing. Please let me help you. It looks like you need all the help you can get, those walkers are weakening the fences. If you don't believe me, you can stand right behind me with the gun. If I do something suspicious, you know what to do."

Rick looked at Carol and Sasha, and then he turned to Carl. Carl seemed completely at ease with Michonne. He had let her out of the cage and given her her weapon back and she hadn't hurt him. Maybe they could give her this one chance.

Rick held up his hand for Carol and Sasha to lower their guns. "I'll watch her" Rick said to them. "Go over there, take that gate" Rick directed her, pointing to one side.

Michonne nodded and made her way over to the gate, getting dirty looks from the other residents who were outside. Only Carl moved to work next to her. As Rick pointed the gun at her, Michonne shoved her katana through the chain link fence, making short work of three walkers that were attempting to reach through. She was killing walkers twice as fast as anyone else at the gate, and Carl was so caught up in watching her use her katana that he was barely killing any walkers himself.

Rick was also intrigued. She moved so gracefully, yet it was obvious she knew how to use her weapon with deadly accuracy. To be honest, Rick didn't believe she had any intention of hurting them. Like she said, if she'd wanted to she had plenty of opportunity to do it, but for the sake of his people's piece of mind he held his gun on her. Carol and Sasha, and certainly Maggie, didn't trust her, and she was still an enemy.

Since Rick was behind Michonne, he took the opportunity to check her out. He couldn't help but feel like a stalker but her body was amazing, and watching the way her jeans fit snuggly around her behind was making his jeans feel embarrassingly tight. He took a moment to adjust himself discreetly.

 _Stop it. Stop looking._

He redirected himself to looking at Carl who had given up the pretense of killing walkers and was now just staring at Michonne as she took out walker after walker that was on her panel of gate. Carl certainly didn't see her as a threat, and Carl was not one to trust people easily. He had been through more than a child his age ever should, and he was very good at assessing the situation. Rick couldn't help but trust Carl's judgement, and his own.

Although Michonne's people had attacked them and killed Glenn and others, he felt that Michonne really wanted to broker a deal between their people.

***can08writer***

Negan rapidly scaled the side of the factory's fence. He couldn't believe how well his plan worked. The walkers had spread out nicely once he'd lured them to the factory with the car. He'd recklessly stashed the car in the woods with Laura still unconscious inside, and then ran to the gates as soon as the lookouts realized there was a herd coming.

They had all run to the front of the building, but they were in eyesight of where Negan was. Taking a chance, he'd climbed the fence even though they could've spotted him if they'd turned around, and quickly snipped a small section of barbed wire off the top so that he could throw himself over. He'd then dropped to the ground on the other side, just to get out of eyesight of the confused lookouts.

Once inside the gates, he'd stayed in the shadows. He didn't have much of this rescue operation planned out. He didn't know what the inside of this factory looked like, or what kind of security he was dealing with. All he knew was he had to get Michonne out.

A few minutes later, more people began to pour out of the factory with weapons that could fit through the gates, and they furiously began hacking at the growling walkers.

Negan hid behind a large barrel used to catch rainwater, as he calculated how far he had to run to get to the doors that led to the inside of the factory. He wondered if he'd be spotted if he made a run for it, but figured he probably would be with the large amount of people that were outside.

' _These people have numbers that's for sure'_ , Negan thought.

While he was trying to work out a plan to get inside, the doors swung open and a kid burst out, followed by Michonne. Relief flooded Negan's body when he saw her, alive and looking well, and even holding on to her katana. She didn't look like she'd been harmed at all. As soon as Michonne walked out the door, Rick and two women pulled their guns on her. Negan froze and then clenched his fists in rage. If Rick hurt her he'd kill him.

He reached down and pulled the weapon he'd taken from Laura. There were only two bullets in it but he'd make it count if they came any closer to Michonne. Negan was so wrapped up in what was happening with Michonne, he didn't see a man approaching him from behind.

"Uh uh uh" a voice with a southern twang said from behind him. Startled, Negan spun around quickly and was eye to muzzle with a gun. "Mine is bigger than yours. Now drop it, nice and slow."

Negan was pissed with himself that he'd gotten so distracted he'd let someone walk right up behind him. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. He slowly lowered his arm, thinking he'd probably be shot, but before he finished his thought, the man knocked him over the head and everything faded to blackness.

***can08writer***

Michonne grunted as she took down walker after walker that pressed themselves against the gate panel she was responsible for. She and Carl were sharing a panel, while everyone else had their own, but she was slaying enough walkers for the both of them, and Carl seemed to be enjoying watching her take them down.

She knew Rick was watching her as well. She could always feel his eyes on her, even if she wasn't supposed to know he was there. She also was aware that he took to watching her as she exercised in the mornings, which is why she waited until she was in the cage to do it, rather than exercise in the private room with the cot.

She'd never say it out loud, but she didn't mind him watching. She actually thought it was funny that he didn't think she knew about him hiding behind some containers to catch her push-ups in the morning.

Michonne had just taken out a walker, when the person on the panel next to she and Carl yelled "look out!".

She turned her head to the left just in time to see the corner of the panel next to them cave in, sending three walkers toppling through the hole and landing on top of Carl and pinning him to the ground.

"No!" she heard Rick scream from behind her, and a bullet whizzed past her and into the skull of the walker that was furthest from Carl, but the other two were still on top of him, right in his face. In one skillful swipe, Michonne beheaded both of the walkers simultaneously, and they collapsed limply on top of him.

"Carl!" Rick screamed, dashing towards his son. Michonne pulled the top walker off and Rick dragged off the other two, scooping his son up in his arms.

"Are you okay? Are you bit? Carl, are you bit?" Rick asked in a panic, running his hands all over his son, checking for blood.

"No. I'm okay, I'm okay dad" Carl said, still in shock himself.

"Oh Jesus" Rick cried, crushing Carl to him.

The person whos gate panel had collapsed continued to kill walkers that were trying to push their way through the opening, but everyone else stopped to stared at Rick and Carl, and then at Michonne.

"Is he alright?" Carol asked, running over.

"I'm okay" Carl answered quickly. "Michonne saved me. Thank you Michonne."

Rick's head snapped up, realizing that what Carl said was true. He turned to her, his eyes locking in on hers, and she could feel the burn of his stare again.

"Th- thank you" he stuttered, still shaken up by the whole turn of events.

Michonne gave him and Carl a quick nod, and then continued clearing walkers from the hole in the gate. The others went back to their task as well, while Rick checked his son over one more time, just to make sure he was really okay.

"Carl, go back inside" Rick said.

"No dad, what happened was a freak accident. It doesn't mean I can't do this…"

"I know you can, son. Just, go back inside for me, please. I need you inside right now."

Carl, seeing that his father was even more upset than _he_ was. decided to comply, and went back into the building. The close call had adrenaline running through Rick's body, and his hands were shaking, but he was grateful that it was only a close call, and he owed Michonne for that.

He turned back towards her to thank her once again, when he heard Merle's voice over the radio. "Rick, I caught me a rat."


	7. Chapter 7

"Put Alexandria on lockdown, now! No one leaves their homes" Rick spat over the radio.

"Roger that, Rick" someone answered. He then turned to speak to his people in front of him.

"Carol, Merle, do a full sweep of the area. There could be more of them out there. Sasha, you lead a group to check every inch of this building. Make sure no one else got in."

Everyone nodded at Rick's orders, and went to do what he said. Rick got on the radio again. "Do a headcount of all our people at Alexandria, make sure no one's missing. Someone had to tell that guy how to get here. He might've killed them."

Michonne watched as Rick paced in front of her. His whole body was tense, and his jaw moved up and down as he clenched it.

"If he killed any more of my people this deal is off and we're at war" Rick rumbled.

Michonne stood stock still as Rick paced. She was shocked when Merle dragged Negan's unconscious body over to them, and suddenly the walkers at the fence made sense. She knew Negan would probably try something, it was just in his nature. But finding his way all the way to the factory and actually attacking by himself? She didn't think he'd be _that_ reckless. Not with the whole town's lives on the line.

"Why is he here?" Rick asked. She was startled to realize Rick was speaking to her.

"Why do you think?" Michonne asked. "He thought you were holding me prisoner. He was probably worried."

"You knew he was comin'?" Rick asked, tilting his head in the way Michonne learned meant he was angry.

"No. I didn't know he was coming, but I understand why."

"What is he, your boyfriend or something?" Rick asked in disgust.

Michonne's head tilted all the way to the right, her forehead scrunched up and her eyes became slits.

"Is that any of your business?" She asked.

Rick opened her cage door expectantly. "You're gonna stay in here until we figure out what's going on. Turn around" Rick said, pulling out the handcuffs.

Michonne stayed where she was, her eyes slowly taking in the handcuffs and then Rick. She crossed her arms, and stared at him.

"Let me see him" she demanded softly.

Rick scoffed. "I'm gonna _talk_ to him when he wakes up" Rick said. "Find out what he was up to."

"Let me see him" Michonne said again. "He didn't hurt anyone. He was just concerned about me."

"I should've killed him…" Rick began.

"You're _going_ to let me see him because you owe me" Michonne said loudly, interrupting Rick. "I saved Carl, and helped you clear your fences. This is the least you can do. I want this trade to work between our communities as much as you do, so you're gonna let me talk to him and figure this out."

Rick looked at Michonne for a moment before averting his eyes away from hers. He nodded his head slightly. "Fine, you can talk to him, but I'll be there too."

Michonne swallowed for a moment, and then accepted his terms with a small nod.

***can08writer***

"Negan", Michonne called softly into another storage locker where he was being held. He stirred slightly but didn't open his eyes.

"Negan!" Michonne called slightly louder.

"'Chonne" he mumbled softly, still not awake.

"Negan, open your eyes" Michonne demanded, and suddenly his eyes flew open. Realization shocked him awake, and his eyes scanned the room until they came to rest on Michonne's.

"Michonne! Where the fuck are we?" Negan said in a panic, leaping to his feet.

"Calm down" Michonne said softly. She tilted her head to the left slightly and Negan saw Rick watching them from a few feet back.

"The fuck is he doing here?" Negan asked, puffing himself up like a cat ready to pounce.

"You broke into his headquarters. Remember?" Michonne asked in an unamused voice.

Negan stood and made his way over to the bars of his cage, while looking at Rick.

"Are you okay?" Negan asked Michonne while staring at Rick the whole time.

"She's fine" Rick answered for Michonne, "you on the other hand…"

"Stop" Michonne interrupted. "I'm fine Negan. What are you doing?"

"I didn't hear anything about you for three days. I didn't know what they did to you. They wouldn't tell me anything" Negan said.

"Negan… I know you were worried, but this?"

"If you killed anyone on your way here, you're a dead man" Rick threatened, taking a step forward. His hand was resting on his gun.

"Don't put your murdering pants on yet, Rick. I didn't kill anyone."

"You led a herd here!" Rick said, taking another menacing step forward. "I should kill you where you…"

"Rick!" Michonne called, and just by saying his name she snapped him out of his murderous mood. He looked at Michonne, his eyes unintentionally swiping up and down her body, and then back to Negan.

Negan looked from Rick to Michonne and back to Rick for a second. He noticed how quickly her one word snapped him out of his rage. As well as how he just checked her out.

"How the fuck did you find out where we were?" Rick asked.

"One of your people brought me here. Laura."

"Where is she?" Rick yelled, fearing the worst.

"She's either taking a nap in her car, or she's on her way here right now. Either way, she's still alive."

Rick quickly spoke into his radio, ordering a group to go out and look for Laura in the woods. Michonne took the opportunity to talk to Negan again.

"Negan, I'm okay. We have a deal now, a trade. They've kept up their end of the bargain, and we're going to do the same. We're not going to fight them..."

"So you're letting her go now?" Negan asked Rick, interrupting Michonne.

Rick stared at Negan for a moment, the vein on his forehead throbbing. He narrowed his eyes.

"No. I'm not letting her go. We agreed she'd stay here as insurance that we don't get attacked by dumbasses like you. But obviously that didn't work."

"Rick, can I talk to him alone?" Michonne asked, turning to face Rick.

He scoffed and crossed his arms. "No."

Michonne sighed in frustration at both the men who were acting like children.

"Rick. Please. Just give me a minute?" Michonne asked again.

The two men's eyes were locked on each other. They looked like they wanted to kill each other. Rick's eyes slowly left Negan's and met Michonne's again. She was pleading with him with her eyes, and he knew he had to give in.

His shoulders slumped slightly, and to Michonne's shock, he turned around and walked away from the cage.

Michonne stepped up to the cage and glared at Negan.

"It was stupid of you to come here. What were you planning to do? Surround the place with walkers and then what? Even if you got to me, how were you planning on getting back out?"

"I'd figure it out" Negan said.

"You have to stop doing this Negan" Michonne said, shaking her head. "Stop trying to save me. Stop being so impulsive. Stop fighting Rick. You're going to get yourself killed."

"I'm gonna keep fighting him until he lets you go. What? Are you resigned to live your life here? When is he going to let you go back to Alexandria?"

"I don't know, but I'm okay here. They're not hurting me. They're doing everything they said they'd do. We need to make this trade work."

"That's all you're worried about isn't it? This trade. What about you? You deserve to not be their fucking prisoner. You deserve to be home. And… and what about me?" Negan asked.

Michonne shook her head slightly, still confused about what Negan was talking about. She opened her mouth to speak when Negan cut her off.

"I miss you, Michonne."

Michonne abruptly shut her mouth.

"I'm not gonna accept you being their prisoner, ever. I will do what I have to do until they let you go. Whatever it takes."

"Negan!"

"I've been thinking about us. Since you've been gone it's made me think about lots of things. Look, I don't know if they're gonna kill me for what I did, so I have to let you know how I feel."

"What? Negan, what are you talking…"

"In case I don't make it, I have to tell you…"

"Don't. Negan…"

"I love you, Michonne."

Michonne froze in place, her ears still trying to digest what Negan had just told her.

"N-Negan I…"

"It's okay if you don't love me. I know you may not be able to feel love right now. Maybe you just need some more time, but I just wanted you to know."

"Don't" Michonne said softly. "Don't love me. It'll only end badly for you."

"I can't help it. When they took you away I realized that without you my life is shit. I'm nothing without you."

Michonne backed away from the bars of the cage and shook her head. "Don't. Don't say that."

She sighed and turned away from Negan. "Don't use me as an excuse to be reckless. I'm not your excuse to get yourself and innocent people killed. I'm sorry but I don't love you. And I can't have you fighting for me when I don't feel that way about you."

"Bullshit" Negan said taking a step closer to the bars on the cage, and therefore closer to Michonne. "I mean, you may not be able to feel love right now, but there was something between us. We had something. You felt it" he said, his eyes boring into hers, begging her for some reciprocation of his feelings.

"I care about you" Michonne admitted. "On the road you were a companion. You were company. You were my person. You pulled me up when I was at my lowest point. What I feel for you is appreciation and friendship, but not love, it never was. Not the way you want."

Negan staggered back a step as if her words had punched him in the chest.

"You don't mean that" he tried one more time. "Is that prick making you say this?" He asked softly. "Michonne, you can tell me."

"No one is making me say this Negan" Michonne said, turning to face him. "I have to be honest, and we will never be the way you want us to be."

And with those words, Negan deflated. All of his bravado and tough guy attitude melted away, and finally Michonne could see who he really was, a lonely man with no one in the world.

It broke her heart to see that she'd broken his. He turned his back to her and returned to the wooden bench in his cage. He sat down facing away from her.

"Negan, I…" Michonne tried, but she realized she had nothing to say. She had told him how she really felt, she wasn't going to apologize for it. As much as she cared about him, as much as she owed him, she didn't love him.

She closed her mouth. She couldn't see Negan's face, but she didn't have to to read the complete devastation in his body language.

Michonne backed away from Negan's cage. "I'll try to get them to let you go."

Negan said nothing as he stared at the wall.

Michonne turned slowly and left the room, walking past Rick who was hiding behind a storage container.

***can08writer***

"He knocked out Laura, stole her car, and used it to lead walkers here. He broke into our compound, and because of him Carl was almost killed!" Rick said.

"But he didn't kill her, he left her somewhere she'd be safe. And Carl _didn't_ die. Negan didn't actually hurt anyone. What he did was stupid, sure, but he didn't really hurt you or your people" Michonne defended, looking from Carol, to Merle, and back to Rick.

Rick, Michonne, Merle, Carol, Sasha, Maggie, and Carl were in the meeting room, discussing what to do with Negan. Maggie was enraged that Michonne was even with them in the room, but the others didn't say much to protest her presence.

"If we let him go, it'll send the message that you can attack us and get away with it" Carol said, crossing her arms. "We made it clear what would happen if they tried to attack us." She quickly glanced at Michonne.

"We did" Maggie said. "That's part of the deal too, right? If they attack us, Michonne gets punished. You really gonna let _him_ go, and have no consequences for _her_?"

"She saved me!" Carl yelled. "She stopped those walkers from eating me. She didn't have to, but she saved my life. She's not our enemy anymore."

"Carl, calm down" Rick said.

"No!" Carl yelled again. "Maggie, you can't be serious. Michonne is on our side. She wants us not to fight with the Alexandrians. I hated her too when I found out what her people did, but I got to know her. She's okay. If anyone gets punished, it should just be the guy who broke in here. Not Michonne."

"We need to make an example" Merle cut in. "These people obviously think they're running the show. But, maybe our punishment don't have to be capital punishment. How bout as punishment, the first trade we make is them givin' us bullets, with nothing in return. And we keep this guy Negan in a cage."

"If we don't punish them the way we said we would, they'll never believe we're serious" Sasha said. "We should stick with our original deal. Michonne pays the price for the attack. And this guy too."

Michonne glared at Sasha.

"Negan was worried about me. That's why he came here. He won't do it again. I told him I'm fine. He'll cooperate now" Michonne said.

"And we should just take _your_ word for it?" Maggie asked.

"Forming new relationships with people involves trust" Michonne said, turning to Rick. "When I offered to come here, I was trusting that you'd keep your side of the bargain. You could've shot me the moment I came here, but you didn't. I could've killed Carl when I was alone with him and had a weapon, I didn't. I also could've let Carl be killed by those walkers. It certainly wouldn't have been hard, but I didn't. Now, I'm telling you that there will be no more trouble from anyone from Alexandria. Just let me speak to them. I need you to trust me now, like I trusted you."

" _She's_ not the problem, it's the idiot in the cage that is" Carol said.

Rick sighed and opened and closed his fist. "What makes you think he won't try this again?" Rick asked Michonne.

"If he does, I'll get rid of him myself" Michonne replied.

***can08writer***

Hours later, Michonne hopped out of the passenger side of one of The Family's trucks. She and Negan had both been blindfolded on the way back to Alexandria, but Negan's hands were tied as he sat in the back seat silently.

Merle and another man pulled Negan out of the back seat of the truck, and he was so silent that he had Michonne worried. She had never seen him so crushed before.

When the Alexandrians saw Michonne and then Negan, they nervously came forward to see what The Family, and Rick, had to say. Aaron, Eric, and Spencer gave Michonne a nod when they saw she was unharmed.

Rick stood next to her, with his hands on his hips, his right hand resting on his Python.

"We have a deal" Michonne said to the Alexandrians. "The Family is going to trade clothes with us, in exchange for bullets."

There was a gasp and confused looks from the Alexandrians. They knew they didn't have nearly enough bullets to trade.

" _Eugene_ is going to get the bullets that we're trading, like he spoke about a few weeks ago" Michonne said, looking over at him meaningfully. Hoping that he understood that she meant he'd have to make them.

Eugene's eyes widened in understanding, and his cowardice immediately took over. "That was pure speculation and hypotheses, I said I _may_ be able to provide…"

"Eugene, we know that you can do it, and I'm sure that _everyone_ here will be working with you so that we're ready for the trade in a week" Michonne said implicitly.

"A week?" Aaron asked. "We won't be ready by then!"

"You have to be" Michonne said. "You need to be. You have to do everything in your power to get started on Eugene's plan."

"And we get clothes in return? Seriously?" Spencer asked skeptically.

"Yes. We get clothes in return. We need them for the children, and for the winter, in exchange for bullets."

There was silence for a few moments, so Michonne continued.

"We need everyone's cooperation in order to make a way forward for all of us."

Rick stepped forward, holding his gun to the back of Negan's head, and pushing Negan who was still blindfolded and bound, ahead of himself.

"This man snuck out of here, kidnapped one of my people, and attacked my home. _After_ the attack that your people already orchestrated, killing many of my family already. I told you, that if any of you tried something, there would be punishment" Rick said, glaring at the Alexandrians.

The members of The Family adjusted their weapons, and the Alexandrians nervously looked around at the group that surrounded them.

"I said that Michonne would be punished if any of you stepped out of line" Rick said again. "But Michonne has proven herself to be trustworthy. Michonne has done nothing but try to convince me that you people are worth trading with. That you people are worth giving a benefit of a doubt."

Rick ripped the blindfold off of Negan's eyes, and Negan squinted and blinked around at his surroundings.

"So because of _Michonne_ , I'm gonna let this piece of shit who attacked us go. I'm returning him here, under the supervision of all of you. He almost brought war upon you all. And if anyone tries something else, your people and my people will be at war. This is the second time I'm giving your people mercy. There will not be a third."

Rick cut the ropes that bound Negan, and roughly pushed him forward, towards the Alexandrians. Negan took a few steps forward, and then turned around to face Rick, keeping his eyes on the ground. Michonne stared at him, trying to get his attention, but Negan refused to look at her.

"And if you don't have the bullets ready in a week, you're going to experience our wrath" Rick added, specifically speaking to Negan. He then turned back to his truck and opened the passenger door.

Michonne knew Rick was waiting for her to get in the car, but she wanted Negan to look at her first. She didn't want to leave him knowing he was still this upset. He refused to look up from the ground, and after a few seconds Michonne blinked rapidly and slowly turned around, walking back towards the truck. She climbed in, and Rick closed the door behind her.

Rick walked to the drivers side and started the engine, the rumble coming from the truck was the only sound in the town. Michonne stared out her window at Negan, who still didn't look up from the ground. Rick made a U-turn with the truck and then drove through Alexandria's gates. Michonne continued to stare out the side view mirror, as she watch Negan stare at the ground emotionlessly, until the gates closed and Negan disappeared from sight.

 ** _Author's Note:_** ** _Thank you for every single review that you've written me. I really love each one from the simple sentence, to the 5 paragraph analysis of each chapter (especially those!). It really encourages me to keep writing when I hear that people are very enthusiastic about the story. And if you have any suggestions or ideas about how you'd like the story to go or what you'd like to see I am open to hear it. I always have an endgame for my fics, but the stuff that happens in the middle is revised a lot, and sometimes the suggestions that readers give me actually change my fics for the better, so suggest away. Anyway, thank you for reading!_**


	8. Chapter 8

Michonne couldn't hide her devastation at the way Negan had reacted to her words. She had never seen him so upset in all the time she'd known him. The way he wouldn't even look at her as she left Alexandria plagued her with guilt.

She'd said what she had to say to get him to calm down. If she'd returned his sentiments she knew he'd never rest until he saved her from Rick. Negan would've stopped at nothing to get her back if she even hinted that she had romantic feelings for him. And Negan would've died, and so would other Alexandrians.

She'd meant what she said. She didn't feel for him the way he felt for her. Maybe with time she could learn to love him, she certainly enjoyed his company, but she couldn't force something just because she didn't want to hurt his feelings. She just hoped her words wouldn't destroy him.

Michonne placed her palms against her cheeks, and slowly rubbed them across her eyes. The events of the day were weighing on her, and so was the stress of being the bridge between her people and Rick. She didn't even want to begin processing how she felt about Rick.

The way her body responded the two times he'd touched her was shocking. There was no doubt that she was attracted to him. Who wouldn't be, with his baby blue eyes, his gray stubble, the muscles in his arm, that southern swag, his bowlegged strut…

 _Wait what?_

Michonne's head shot up. When did she have time to notice all these things about Rick? She certainly wasn't _trying_ to study him, but somehow she'd memorized all these things about him without even trying.

' _Stop it'_ she scolded herself. A school girl crush was the last thing she needed.

Suddenly she got that feeling, that heat she always felt when Rick's eyes were on her. Slowly, Michonne looked up to find him staring at her from the door a few feet away. She felt her face turn red. Did he know she'd just been thinking about him?

Rick knew Michonne had been sulking ever since they'd returned from Alexandria a few hours ago. He thought she was upset because she wanted to stay with her people, but he couldn't help but think her sadness had something to do with the man who'd tried to save her. He had heard their whole conversation, how the man, Negan, had expressed his love to her. How she'd rejected him, and how broken he'd been after that.

He knew he shouldn't care about her personal business and her relationship with that man, but he was curious to know who Negan was, how he'd ended up with Michonne, and what relationship they may have had.

Seeing she had noticed him, Rick slowly walked over to her cage and placed left hand on the wrought iron bars.

"You're upset" Rick stated.

"I'm not" she mumbled, not knowing why she even bothered to answer him.

"I did what you asked. I let him go. I didn't punish him. He's fine."

"I know that" Michonne snapped. "I know you did."

"So what's your problem?" Rick asked, more harshly than he meant to.

"I don't have a problem Rick. I'm fine" Michonne said, dismissing him.

Rick stood before her cage and gazed at her as she actively avoided his eyes. He then reached into his pocket for his keys, causing her eyes to flick upwards towards his. He unlocked her cage and swung it open.

"You're not a prisoner here. Not anymore. You're a diplomat. What I said to your people is true, the only reason I didn't wipe them all out for what that prick did was because of you. Because you convinced me they deserve a benefit of a doubt." Rick shook his head slightly as he spoke. "I think I can trust you. _Carl_ trusts you, and he doesn't trust just anyone. He'd be dead without you, and you were right before. We _do_ owe you."

Michonne's eyes widened at Rick's words.

"You're free to explore the inside of this place. No one is going to lock you up. But, I can't control the nasty looks you're gonna get from my people. They don't want you here. They don't understand why I didn't just make an example of you."

"Why didn't you?" Michonne asked softly.

Rick paused for a moment, taken off guard by her question. He didn't expect her to ask that.

"I think… I think we need you."

As Michonne looked up at Rick, she felt a warmth in her chest, something that was unfamiliar because she hadn't felt it in so long. Her heart rate sped up as she gazed into his eyes. She was needed. He said he needed her. It was a simple sentence, but it made her feel good. She gave him a small smirk.

"You do" she replied matter of factly.

The corner of Rick's lip curled upwards. "I said I _think_ " he emphasized, tilting his head to the side.

Michonne smiled again and Rick returned it. He then took a few steps away from the cage and stopped.

"There's a library we're starting, down the hall and to the left. We only have a few dozen books, but there might be something there you like."

Michonne stood up from her bench, slowly rubbing her jeans with her hands. "Thank you Rick" she replied.

Rick nodded and left the room.

***can08writer***

Michonne had been in the library for a few minutes when Carl loudly made his entrance.

"Dad said you'd probably be in here" Carl said, leaning against the door frame.

"Well he was right" Michonne said, sitting at a chair near the only table in the room, one of her legs tucked underneath her while the other swung off the side of the chair.

"What are you reading?" Carl asked.

"Something amazing" she replied, "full of adventure, weird creatures, distant places, and interesting people." She turned her head to look at Carl slyly, "the Encyclopedia Brittanica."

Carl let out a snort as he laughed. "That is so boring!" he exclaimed.

Michonne smiled. "I grew up reading these y'know. It was before my family had a computer or the internet. The encyclopedia is how I learned about the world. My dad had a full set of 30 books about almost anything you could think of."

"Still sounds boring" Carl said, but he moved closer to peek at the page Michonne was looking at.

"It's fascinating stuff. Look" Michonne said, turning the book so Carl could see, "did you know a Blue Whale's tongue can weigh 8,000 pounds?"

"Really?" Carl asked, "how does it move it?"

"Well considering the Blue Whale weighs 400,000 pounds or more, I don't think it has a hard time."

"I remember learning about them in school" Carl said, "we did a project on marine mammals, but I got stuck with Manatees. The whales were so much cooler."

"Hey, Manatees are cool too. I saw one once. I went snorkeling in Florida and one of them came a few feet from the boat I was on."

"Did it look like a Mermaid?" Carl asked, plopping himself into the chair next to Michonne.

"Not at all. I don't know how anyone could get them confused. Sailors must've been pretty drunk to think they looked like women, but it was pretty cute though."

"That must've been cool, to see that. I kinda wish I got to go more places when the world was normal. I'd never even left Georgia before we came here." A dark look spread across Carl's face. "I'll never get to do any of those things, like snorkeling and going on vacation."

Michonne felt a pang in her heart at the boy's tone. Probably because he was probably right. His life would never be what it could've been without the walker virus.

"Hey" she said softly, drawing Carl's attention from his depressing thoughts. "There's plenty of fun things you can do. And you can certainly go snorkeling one day. All you need is a snorkeling mask and some water."

"Yea" Carl said, but she could tell she wasn't being convincing.

Trying to change the subject, Michonne asked "are there any other kids around here?"

"Besides me and Judith? No. I mean, Maggie is gonna have her baby soon, but… yea. Kids don't survive long."

Michonne's heart dropped. She knew how true Carl's words were. More than he realized. Carl noticed how quickly her mood changed.

"Are there kids where you're from?" he asked.

"Yea, there are a few. Some teenagers, and some kids your age too. If we get this trade deal going and it works out well, maybe you can come visit. Meet some of the kids from my town. Would you like that?"

Carl shrugged his shoulder and his cheeks turned red.

"What is it?" Michonne asked, noticing his discomfort.

"I don't know" Carl said, staring at the encyclopedia.

"You don't know what?" Michonne asked, prodding at him gently.

"I don't know if I'd like that. I haven't been around other kids a lot. What if they don't like me? What if they think I'm weird? My last friend, Sophia, we went through a lot together. She was Carol's daughter. She was my best friend but she died. The walkers scared her and she got lost, and then she got bit. So, I don't know if other kids my age would like me, 'cuz I'm not really a kid anymore, you know?"

Michonne gave Carl a sad smile. This kid had been through so much.

"How could they not like you? I'm sure you'll be fine. All you have to do is tell them some Blue Whale facts. That's a real conversation starter."

Carl gave Michonne a wide grin that she returned, and then his stomach rumbled.

"Man I'm hungry, it's gotta be dinner time" he said, quickly hopping up from his chair, "c'mon."

"Where are we going?" Michonne asked.

"You can come to my house, Dad's cooking tonight."

***can08writer***

Carl walked Michonne down a series of hallways until they reached a closed door.

"You sure this is okay?" Michonne asked nervously.

"Yea, Dad won't care" Carl said confidently, "he said you're free to walk around, right?"

Carl opened the door and entered, tentatively followed by Michonne. They walked into a large open room, with a few armchairs on the left, and a table and chairs on the right. In the corner was a queen sized mattress laid on the floor which sheets were neatly made, and another door that was open slightly, revealing the light on in a small bathroom.

The first thing Michonne heard was a toddler crying and then the sound of a running shower. She turned her head towards the sound which was coming from the bathroom. She got a brief view of Rick, naked from the waist up, wearing nothing but sweatpants as he paced back and forth in front of the cracked open bathroom door. The view of the muscles rippling on his bare back caused her to blush in embarrassment, and his pants hanging just below his hips revealed the two adorable dimples in his lower back.

Despite Rick's body, what really stole Michonne's heart was a tiny face peeking out from over her father's shoulder. A little girl with big brown eyes that were full of tears, and curly blond hair. Rick had his back to the bathroom door as he rocked his daughter from side to side and paced the room with her.

Michonne's heart swelled from witnessing this tender moment between a father and his daughter. The little girl was obviously not feeling well, crying and fussing loudly as Rick patiently held her, talking to her gently as he paced. The deep love Rick had for his daughter was obvious.

"Carl, I think she's comin' down with something" Rick called over Judith's crying. "Her nose is all stuffy. I'm hoping the steam'll do the trick."

"Yea, she was sneezing earlier. Dad…"

"She's been cryin' for the past half hour. I didn't have time to start dinner."

"Ok Dad, but…"

"Do me a favor, go to Carol and see if she knows any tricks I can do to make her feel more comfortable. She probably knows more than I do."

"Dad! I…"

"Oh man, she feels a little warm too. I hope it's not a fever. Okay sweetheart, please stop crying. Daddy doesn't know how to make you stop crying."

"Dad!" Carl yelled.

Rick, finally realizing Carl was trying to get his attention, opened the bathroom door fully and was surprised to see Michonne standing in front of him. His eyes widened, dropped to her breasts, and then quickly diverted back up to her face.

"I invited Michonne over for dinner" Carl said softly.

"It… it looks like this is a bad time" Michonne said quickly, her eyes flicking from Rick's muscled chest, to his crying daughter, and back to his face.

"Uh… uh no. I… um, well you see what's going on" Rick said, gesturing to Judith who was whining piteously.

"Yea" she said. "The steam is good, that'll work if you keep her in there long enough, and try a warm towel on her neck, that might help with the congestion too."

"Really?" Rick asked Michonne, stepping backwards into the steamy bathroom a little so that Judith could continue to breathe it in. "You know about babies?"

"Just a few things" Michonne said with a shrug. "Here."

She joined Rick in the bathroom and picked up a small towel that was resting on the sink. She turned on the hot water and submerged the towel in the steaming water. She then removed the towel and squeezed the water out over and over again until it was just damp and warm to the touch.

"Put this warm towel around the back of her neck. Hopefully it'll decongest her sinuses and her chest. At least if it doesn't it feels nice and warm, it may put her to sleep."

Rick nodded and took the towel from Michonne, wrapping it around Judith's shoulders. He continued to bounce her up and down in the humid bathroom as Michonne stepped out and closed the door behind her.

Carl was in the kitchen removing a loaf of bread from one of the cabinets. Michonne could tell the bread came from Hilltop.

"You like peanut butter and jelly?" Carl asked, holding up a jar of peanut butter.

"I _love_ peanut butter and jelly" Michonne replied. "I haven't had it in over a year."

"Well, you came to the right place. We don't get to eat it often, peanut butter is hard to find. We only eat it on days like this when dad can't cook." Carl leaned in closer to Michonne and lowered his voice. "I like it better than dad's cooking" he added, "don't tell him."

Michonne chuckled and grabbed some plates from the cabinet above Carl's head. "Your secret is safe with me."

Carl lay the slices of bread on the plates as Michonne spread the peanut butter on. Carl then washed the knife and added the jelly. By the time they finished making three sandwiches, and a half one for Judith, and set them on the table, Rick emerged from the bathroom with Judith who was sleeping deeply, her head resting on Rick's shoulder.

"Finally" Rick whispered with a relieved smirk on his face. He slowly lay her on the mattress in the corner of the family's little studio apartment. Rick glanced over at the table to see Carl and Michonne already seated. He grabbed a shirt from a nearby table and slid it over his toned body to Michonne's slight disappointment.

"I think she really needs the rest, but she probably won't be down long" Rick said, joining Carl and Michonne at the table.

Carl slid Rick's sandwich over to him.

"Hey, I'm sorry I couldn't make dinner tonight" Rick said, "Judith wouldn't let me put her down."

"It's okay dad" Carl said, shooting Michonne a small smile, and Michonne smirked back, knowing he was thinking of their little secret.

"Did you get a chance to look around?" Rick asked her.

"I just made it to the library. It's been a while since I had spare time to read."

"What were you reading?" Rick asked.

"The encyclopedia" Michonne responded, biting into her sandwich.

"Did you know a Blue Whale's tongue weighs 800 pounds?" Carl asked Rick.

"It was 8,000" Michonne corrected.

Rick shook his head and laughed. "No, I did not know that" he said, "sounds like a fella I don't wanna mess with."

"Do the kids in your town go to school?" Carl asked Michonne.

"Yea, I mean there aren't many kids but the youngest go to school in the mornings, the older ones in the afternoon. It's just the basics, reading and writing, math, and sometimes history, and science."

"It's been a while since Carl has had school lessons. My wife used to…" Rick began, but his words faded away. He often tried not to think of Lori and what happened to her, but Judith was a living reminder of Lori's death. He knew he hadn't dealt with the grief and guilt that his wife's death had left, but he had more important things to handle. His two children and his community were more important. He'd pushed down his own feelings about the past in order to deal with the present, but those feelings were still there, simmering just underneath.

Carl noticed his father's pause, and then how he began to unconsciously twirl his wedding band as he thought.

Michonne noticed too. And how did she never notice that he had a wedding band on? His wife must've died recently, maybe a while after the baby was born? Michonne kicked herself for being so stupid as to have developed a crush on a grieving widower who she was also trying to negotiate with in order to keep him from slaughtering her whole town.

An awkward silence fell on them as they took a few more bites of their sandwiches.

"My mom used to do school with me and Sophia. Just math problems and stuff, but I haven't since Sophia died."

Michonne nodded. Math problems take the back burner if there are walkers outside your door.

Michonne turned to Rick. "I was telling Carl earlier that once this is all settled between our communities, he'd be welcome to come to Alexandria to hang out with some of the kids his age, or even go to school."

"Would you want to do that?" Rick asked Carl seriously. He had yearned for some semblance of a childhood for his son, but it didn't seem possible. Now, Michonne was offering Carl school, friends, and an education. Things Rick had wanted for Carl but gave up on him ever having.

"I dunno" Carl admitted, "maybe. I'll think about it."

Judith interrupted their conversation with a congested cough and a whine. The sleepy girl pushed herself up from the mattress, seemingly grumpy that they were having a nice meal without her. She whined louder and reached out her arms to her daddy. Rick quickly stood and scooped up the girl from her spot on the mattress.

"Hey sleepyhead" Rick said softly, and Michonne melted at the tenderness in his voice. Rick ran his hands over Judith's hair, and checked her forehead as the girl buried her face in her daddy's neck.

"Still a little warm" Rick said as he carried Judith over to the table and let her sit on his lap. The girl was awake but was no longer crying, so Rick tried to get in a few more bites of his sandwich before he had to tend to her again.

Carl and Michonne carried on a conversation about comics that Carl had read as Rick watched cluelessly, and he was intrigued at how close Carl had grown to this woman in a matter of days. It was like she related to him in a way that Rick never had, and although it was perplexing, he was happy for his son. Rick also couldn't help but notice how well Michonne fit in with his children, and he wondered if she worked with children before the apocalypse, or if she'd had any.

Once everyone had finished their sandwiches, Rick placed Judith in Carl's lap, and got up to clean the plates in the bathroom sink as Carl and Michonne continued to talk. He smiled at himself in the mirror when he heard Carl's hysterical laughing coming from the other room. Soon, there was a knock at the front door.

Rick finished the dishes as he heard Carl open the door and talk to someone.

"I gotta go Dad!" Carl called, "Sasha said she has some free time to train me if I meet her in a few minutes by the gates."

Rick left the bathroom to see his son standing impatiently at the door with Judith in his arms. Carl had been begging for more responsibilities like he'd had at the prison and on the road, but with The Family's numbers ever growing, and the surplus of adults around, Rick was attempting to keep him away from the killing as much as possible. He'd said that Carl could do watch on the gates if Sasha trained him on proper sniping technique thinking Sasha wouldn't have the time or will to do it. To Rick's surprise and Carl's delight she'd agreed.

"Hold up, I was gonna come with you" Rick said.

"You can't, Judith's sick, I'll be fine. I'm gonna be late, see you later Dad, bye Michonne!" Carl called. He dumped Judith into his father's arms and was out the door before another word could be said.

Rick sighed and looked down at Judith, forgetting Michonne was still sitting at the table.

"Just me and you, huh sweetheart?" Rick asked Judith.

Michonne cleared her throat from behind Rick and stood from the table. "I should get going too" Michonne said, although she was fully aware that she had nowhere else to be.

"You… you don't have to" Rick said quickly. "We can uh… talk about the logistics of our trade deal, y'know… how many clothes would be a fair trade for bullets."

Michonne opened her mouth to say that could wait for another time, when Judith projectile vomited all over Rick's hair, shirt, and sweatpants.

Rick and Michonne both froze in shock for a moment, but Judith's cries stirred them into action.

"Shit!" Rick said in shock, causing Judith to get upset and scream louder. "Oh it's alright, it's alright" Rick comforted her.

Michonne ran over to the bathroom and brought Rick a towel so he could wipe some of the dripping vomit from his hair.

"Can… can you hold her for a minute? I'm covered in whatever Carl gave her for lunch."

Michonne froze like a deer in headlights. "I don't… I don't think that's a good idea" Michonne stammered, but Rick was distracted by the vomit and he pushed a crying Judith into Michonne's arms.

"Thanks! Be right back" Rick called as he carefully scurried to the bathroom, trying not to drip the contents of his shirt on the floor.

Michonne held Judith stiffly out in front of her by her armpits, her heart racing. She had no problem helping Rick out with clearing Judith's congestion earlier, but holding her was another story. Judith was the first child she'd held since her son's death, and holding the girl was bringing back memories she'd tried so hard to ignore.

She got a flashback of holding Andre the same way she was holding Judith now, except she was happily lifting the boy up to the night sky so he could pretend to catch stars. Judith's crying snapped Michonne back from her vision.

The girl's tearstained eyes were pleading for comfort, for security. She didn't feel well and she needed someone to take care of her.

Michonne's lip trembled as she looked into Judith's eyes, and she slowly brought the toddler towards herself, tucking one arm under the girl's bottom, and another around her back.

Judith instinctively rested her cheek against Michonne's and that was Michonne's breaking point. She let out a sob and pulled Judith closer, rubbing her cheek against Judith's. The child's crying slowly faded away as Michonne held her, rocking her from side to side as memories of Andre flooded her mind.

Rick had just finished scrubbing the vomit out of his shirt and hair when he noticed Judith had quieted down. He peeked through the bathroom door to see what was going on when he spotted Michonne holding Judith tightly and sobbing almost soundlessly. He was so shocked at what he was seeing that he stared. He felt like a voyeur, a witness to something he didn't think Michonne would've wanted him to see. He watched his daughter who was silently allowing Michonne to rock her, and the woman who a few days ago had been his enemy get something they both needed from each other.

He didn't want to ruin their moment so he slunk back into the bathroom, waited a few seconds and then called "thanks Michonne, I'll be out in a minute!"

Michonne quickly wiped her face and nose at Rick's words. She definitely didn't want him to see her like that. She hurried over to a mirror that was stuck to the wall and tried to hide her tears when Rick re-emerged from the bathroom shirtless. He headed to a clothes chest and pulled out a new T-shirt that he quickly pulled on and then took Judith from Michonne's arms.

He gave Michonne a small smile, still wondering what her mini breakdown was about.

"Thank you" Rick said, "I'm sorry for just throwing her at you like that."

"It's okay" Michonne said quickly, reflexively wiping at her eyes.

"And thank you for saving Carl the other day. I know I said it already, but you deserve to hear it again."

Michonne nodded.

"And also, thank you for getting to know him. I heard him laughing with you when I was washing the dishes. This life, it's hard for kids. I can't be his father and his best friend. It's nice that... that he feels comfortable to talk to you about things he can't talk to me about."

Michonne was surprised at Rick's words. She wasn't really _trying_ to get along with Carl, she just did. He stole her heart without even realizing it.

"I think he sees you as a friend, and I… I appreciate that. But that's a lot of pressure, I realize that. And if you need your space, or you want to take a break…"

"I'm done taking breaks" Michonne said, and her words surprised herself. That's what she'd been doing for a long time. Taking breaks. Breaks from friendships, breaks from reality, breaks from facing her shit, breaks from love. But she was finally done. Holding Judith made her remember that she was still alive, and she could still live, even without Andre.

Rick just nodded. He didn't understand what breaks Michonne had been taking, but he figured it had to do with her therapeutic moment with Judith.

"I'm gonna try to get her to drink somethin' and put her back to sleep" Rick said.

Michonne nodded. "Thanks for dinner."

"My pleasure" Rick said.

Michonne turned and made her way to the door, Rick watching her the entire time. She turned back and looked at the father and his sick daughter one more time before closing the door behind her.

***can08writer***

By the end of the week Judith's illness had run its course, and Carl was spending most of his free time with Michonne. It felt great that he finally had a friend. It had been a long time since Sophia, and he needed someone to talk to, even if she was an adult, but Michonne didn't feel like an adult to him. She was funny, and cool, and always had interesting things to say.

When he wasn't on watch he'd be in the library with Michonne, seeing who could find the most random facts from the volumes of encyclopedias, reading comic books, or telling jokes or stories. It was almost easy to forget the circumstances that brought Michonne to be here with them in the first place.

Maggie had reluctantly accepted Michonne's presence at the factory, although she made no attempt to talk or interact with her. Sasha and Carol had accepted her as well, and although they were nowhere near friendly with her, they didn't scowl in her direction as much.

When it was time to go back to Alexandria for the first trade between the towns, Michonne left with Rick and other members of The Family. Carl was nervous, he didn't know what could happen if his Dad went back to a town that clearly wasn't friendly, and he was worried about Michonne too. He was relieved when the two of them returned hours laters with 6 boxes of bullets.

Rick was smiling from ear to ear, clearly happy about how the trade went, and Michonne seemed relieved as well, although Carl noticed a hint of sadness on her face. Later, Carl went looking for her and found her in the library, where he figured she'd be.

"Hey" he said, plopping next to her.

"Hey" Michonne said, looking up from a paperback book.

"Dad said the deal went well."

"As well as it could go I guess" Michonne said unenthusiastically.

"Do your people even _want_ to trade with us?" Carl asked, his brow furrowed.

Michonne tilted her head to the side and looked up at the ceiling. She really didn't know how to answer that. Her people were doing what they had to do to not get attacked.

"My people don't want war with your people" Michonne answered.

"So my dad is _making_ your people trade?" Carl asked.

"Well… the trade is not exactly equal" Michonne said honestly, "my town is taking a lot of time and effort getting bullets for your people, but all they get in return is clothing. Some people aren't happy but, there are lots of people in your group. More than we have."

Carl looked at Michonne and then glanced down at the table.

"If I ask you something, will you be honest?" Carl asked.

"I'll try" Michonne said.

"Do you really want to be friends with me, or are you pretending? Are you doing this to get in good with my dad? Are you talking to me because you think things will go better for your people? It's okay, you can tell me."

Michonne squinted her eyes at the boy and leaned in close to him. The look on his face touched her heart. His brow was furrowed and his eyes flicked back and forth across hers, anticipating her next words.

She touched Carl's hand on the table.

"I'm not pretending. I like to spend time with you. You _are_ my friend. I know things are complicated between my people and yours, but I wouldn't lie to you about _that_. You're actually the best thing about being here", Michonne admitted.

Carl nodded. "Thanks for being honest with me. What's happening with your town and my dad isn't fair. Your people did a horrible thing. Glenn and the others that they killed were good people. I hated all of you at first, but getting to know you made me realize that you're not all evil. We can be more fair, I'll tell my dad that."

"Okay" Michonne said.

"Anyway, Sasha's gonna teach me how to hit long range targets today. Do you wanna come?" Carl asked hopefully, he wanted to show off his new sniper skills to Michonne.

Michonne nodded. "Okay sure. Let's get out of here."

***can08writer***

Michonne had now been at The Family's factory for a month. Michonne continued her morning workouts to keep her strength and athleticism up, and now Rick watched her openly, not even trying to discreetly hide his fascination. Carol and Merle had poked fun at him about his obsession with watching Michonne, but the teasing didn't deter him.

True to his word, Carl convinced Rick to double the amount of clothing given to Michonne's people to better compensate them. After two successful exchanges of goods between The Family and the Alexandrians, tensions between the groups seemed to be lowered somewhat, and Michonne now itched to go back to her home.

As much as she adored Carl, and how well Rick was treating her considering the circumstances, she had to settle things with Negan. She hadn't had a conversation with him since he was in the cell, and she didn't want their relationship to be completely damaged. She wanted to make amends with the man who had saved her life and became her friend.

"Do you want to go home?" Carl asked her. The two of them were in an open area in front of the factory's loading docks. Although this area was completely gated in, a walker or two could be seen wandering through the surrounding forests that bordered the gates. Michonne had been practicing with her katana as Carl watched.

Michonne sighed. Why was this kid so curious all of a sudden.

"I do, but I might not be welcomed by everyone" Michonne said, practicing a swing with her left hand. She had been trying to strengthen that arm seeing as though she usually used her right.

"What?" Carl asked, totally not expecting that answer, "why not?"

Michonne thought back to her last trip to Alexandria. How her people scowled as they handed over the bullets that Eugene had scrambled to make. And how Negan finally looked at her with a glance of hurt and betrayal.

She'd tried to talk to him, but he walked away, and it had hurt her. And she knew he'd wanted to hurt her.

"Some people are not happy with what I'm doing here. They don't think we should've made a deal. They don't like that I'm here."

"Is it that guy that came here?" Carl asked, startling Michonne with how accurately he'd read her. "My dad should've killed him. I know he'll cause trouble."

"Hey, didn't you say you realized we're not all evil?" Michonne said.

"Well _he's_ a jerk. Especially if he's mad at you. You basically saved him. If you didn't make a deal with dad, he would be dead."

"Maybe" Michonne said distractedly. Carl could tell she didn't want to continue the conversation, as she busied herself with putting her katana back in its sheath.

"Well, I'm glad you're still here. You're the only one that doesn't treat me like a kid, or try to protect me all the time. I know my Dad does some things that scare people, thats why so many people join us I think. They're scared of my dad but they think he can protect them. Since my mom died and we lost our home at the prison, something in him changed. The only time he acts like how he used to be is when he's with me and Judith, and…"

Carl paused for a moment as he thought. "And when you came over for dinner. He acted like he used to when _you_ were there." Carl looked up at her. "You're gonna leave soon, but I liked having you here. And I think my dad does too."

"Well… um…" Michonne said.

"Can you come over for dinner again?" Carl asked, his blue eyes hopeful.

"I dont think thats a-"

"Yea" Rick said, suddenly appearing from the direction of the doors that led back inside the factory. Michonne's head swiveled to see him appear from behind them. She had no idea how long he'd been there. " _We'd_ appreciate it if you'd come over for dinner again."

"I can't" Michonne said.

"Other plans?" Rick asked with a smirk, knowing that she didn't.

"C'mon please Michonne?" Carl asked, "I'm making lasagna". He leaned forward and whispered in Michonne's ear, "dad's not cooking."

Michonne tried to hold in her smile, but she couldn't stop it from streaking across her face.

"Okay" she said.

***can08writer***

Carl proudly held up the vegetable lasagna he'd made for the family. Michonne had to admit it smelled really good. Hilltop hadn't figured out how to make cheese yet, so it was mostly pasta, tomato sauce and vegetables, but Carl was proud of it so she gave him a wide grin.

"It smells great" she said.

Carl carried the lasagna pan over to the table that she, Rick and Judith were sitting at.

"When did you learn how to make lasagna?" Rick asked intrigued. It was the first time he'd seen Carl cook something so elaborate.

"I watched mom make it a few times" Carl said, "I just put vegetables instead of meat and cheese."

"Well this is a welcome surprise" Rick said, "maybe this could be a regular thing. I think I'd like coming home to some hot food."

"Uh, this could be a _sometimes_ thing dad" Carl said with a smirk, but he was glad his father was impressed.

Rick cut everyone a slice of lasagna and placed it on plates that he slid in front of them. He then sat down, and everyone began to dig in. It was quiet except for the scraping of forks on plates and the sound of chewing.

"Do you and Carl sit down to dinner all the time?" Michonne asked, just trying to make conversation.

"Actually, no" Rick said, his face dropping. "Not… not as much as I'd like." Rick looked over at Carl who was chewing his piece of lasagna but purposely keeping his eyes on his plate.

Michonne realized she'd breached a sore subject, and she picked up her fork and took another bite. They continued to eat in silence.

After a few moments of silence, Judith, who was sitting on a high chair next to Rick, picked a carrot out of her small piece of lasagna and held it out to Michonne. Michonne looked up from her plate to see the little girl smiling at her mischievously.

"For me?" Michonne asked Judith in surprise. Judith leaned closer to Michonne, shoving the carrot towards her.

Michonne glanced at Rick whose eyes were bouncing from her to Judith and he had a slight lift in the corner of his lip. Michonne focused on Judith again and leaned forward so that the little girl's hand with the carrot was almost touching Michonne's lip.

"Mmmm, yum yum" Michonne smacked as she pretended to eat the carrot from Judith's hand. Judith let out a shriek of laughter and snatched the carrot back towards herself, making Michonne laugh.

"Aww, you're going to take it away now?" Michonne asked her. Judith laughed again and placed the carrot in front of her own mouth.

"What about me?" Michonne asked, poking out her lip. Judith, sensing the new game, once again stuck the carrot towards Michonne's mouth.

"Mmmm, yum yum yum" Michonne said again, this time pretending to snack on Judith's hand.

Judith roared with laughter, closing her eyes and throwing her head back at Michonne's game. Rick and Carl both were smiling ear to ear at how happy Judith seemed. Even Carl, her favorite person, had never gotten her to laugh that hard.

Michonne and Judith went back and forth a few more times, each time Michonne pretending to eat more and more of Judith. Her arm, then her belly, and finally the top of her head.

"Looks like Michonne's got you beat for Judith's funniest person" Rick teased Carl.

"Nah, Judith's just being nice 'cuz you're leaving" Carl said to Michonne, and then his eyes quickly flicked to Rick with a look that clearly said he'd let something slip. Michonne looked at Rick as well, confused about what Carl was talking about.

"Well, it seems like Carl jumped the gun, but yes, you're leaving. Carl had a talk with me, and he convinced me. He can be persuasive but he also was right about what he said. Alexandria hasn't tried anything since we gave Negan back, and they've so far kept their word with the bullets, so as a gesture of good faith, we're letting you go home."

Michonne was confused about the emotions she was feeling. On one hand, this was what she'd been waiting for since she was brought here. Being set free. She'd completed her mission of creating a somewhat begrudging peace between her people and The Family, and now she could be assured that her town was safe. On the other hand, she'd become attached to Carl, more than she'd ever expected. And by extension, Rick.

She'd seen him at his scariest, shoving a gun in her face, putting her in handcuffs, and murdering Jesus in front of her. But she'd also seen his other side, his relationship with his son, and how he'd lovingly cared for his sick daughter. She felt connected to this little family, and she was afraid of how much she'd miss them.

"So that's it? I'm free to go?" Michonne asked, her brow furrowed.

"I told you, you're not a prisoner here, at least not anymore. I was wrong for treating you like one, I'll admit it. I know why I did it, I was trying to keep my people safe. But once your people started cooperating, and I realized who you really were, I realized I wasn't keeping you to keep my people safe.

"Then why were you?" Michonne asked softly.

Carl had long stopped eating and froze, his eyes flicking from Michonne to his father and back again.

"Carl, can you take Judith outside for a little while?" Rick asked.

"What? Why?" Carl asked.

"Carl" Rick said again more firmly. Carl let out an annoyed sigh but stood and scooped up Judith. He did as his father asked, but was sure to close the door as loudly as he could as he left.

Rick's face turned red and he rubbed the back of his neck. Michonne was leaving and he probably wouldn't have much interaction with her after this, so he didn't have to lie.

"I enjoyed your company. You're an amazing woman, and I was selfish, so I forced you to stay. But I don't have that right. Even if Carl wants you here, I was wrong not to give you a choice."

Michonne was shocked at his honesty. She'd never expected him to say that, and as much as she didn't appreciate doing anything against her will, she'd wanted to stay.

"Well, thanks for admitting that" Michonne said awkwardly. "To tell you the truth, it wasn't… horrible."

"Well thanks" Rick said with a smile. There was a pause and Rick looked down at the floor while Michonne gazed at him. "So um… I'll have one of my men drive you back to Alexandria tomorrow."

Michonne nodded. "Okay."

"Carl won't be happy, but he'll… he'll be okay" Rick said.

"Yea, he will" Michonne agreed, but she continued to stare at Rick.

Rick nodded his head two times, but he couldn't pull himself away from Michonne's brown eyes. Her eyes wandered from his eyes to his lips, and back to his eyes again. He didn't realize he was moving closer to her until he was a few inches away, staring down at her plump lips. He wanted to kiss her so badly, her lips were like a magnet pulling him to her. Michonne could feel Rick moving closer to her, but surprisingly she didn't mind. It shocked her that after telling him to never touch her again that she wanted this. She wanted to see if the inexplicable feelings she was feeling towards him were real.

Rick was so close now she could feel the heat radiating from his body. He leaned in for a landing just as Michonne pulled away, breaking the trance. Her sudden distance startled Rick.

"I should be going" Michonne said, her voice raised a few octaves as she backed away. This couldn't happen. She couldn't do this, even though she wanted to.

"Yea, I… sorry… you're right" Rick said, flustered. He flushed a deep shade of red. He didn't know what took over him, he just knew that he wanted to kiss her. Badly. He still did.

Michonne was shaken as well. What just happened? This was her former enemy. This was the man who'd basically held her hostage for days. She was curious about what she was feeling, but she knew this, whatever it was, wasn't a good idea right now.

She backed away from Rick further and then turned around completely. "Thanks for dinner again" she said as she walked out the door.

 _ **Author's Note:** Hey, sorry about how long it took to get this chapter out. I was obsessing over it and struggling over how to develop the relationship between Carl, Rick, and Michonne the way I wanted it to go, but I figured I'd stop worrying about it and just get it out there. To the anons that messaged me on Tumblr about when I was going to update, I sped up this process for you. Hope you like it! Please leave me a review and tell me what you think._


	9. Chapter 9

"So I'll see you soon" Michonne said to Carl the next morning, as she stood in front of the factory, about to head back to Alexandria.

"How soon?" Carl asked uncertainly. He was skeptical about whether Michonne would ever come back to the factory, or if his father would really let him come visit her.

"Pretty soon" Michonne said, "I mean it, this isn't the last you'll see of me. And thanks for talking to your dad on my behalf. I owe you."

"No you don't" Carl said seriously, "that was payback for what you did for me. I probably owe you even more."

"Stop it" Michonne said, placing her hand on the back of Carl's neck. "Let's just call us even."

Carl smiled and nodded, and Michonne patted him on the shoulder.

Rick approached with Judith in his arms. He gave Michonne a nod and a brief smile. Michonne nodded back, and felt a heat in her cheeks when she thought back to their almost kiss.

Carl once again looked suspiciously between Rick and Michonne as the two of them locked eyes with each other.

"Bye Michonne" Carl said, drawing the two of them out of their staring match.

"Yea. Bye" Rick mimicked.

Michonne nodded at the small family again before turning and walking away.

She approached the car that was waiting to take her back to Alexandria. She walked up to the door and opened it. Just when she was about to climb into the passenger seat she saw the person who would be driving her and paused, her outstretched hand dropping to her side.

"Expectin' someone else?" Merle asked cheerily before he let out a chuckle.

Michonne rolled her eyes and continued to climb into the high jeep, staring straight ahead as she slammed the door.

Merle smiled at her for a few more seconds before starting the car and rolling down the driveway that led away from the factory.

"What?" he asked a few minutes into the drive, "I thought we put the past behind us."

Michonne leaned her head against the window, wanting to be anywhere but trapped in a car with this man for the next few hours.

"Y'know, Andrea was all tore up when you left Woodbury" Merle said. He knew it'd catch Michonne's attention. Michonne couldn't help but listen to his words, her head lifting off the side window slightly.

"Yea, Blondie was sad for about a day, maybe two. But the Governor, he took her mind right off of you."

Michonne rolled her eyes again and pressed her forehead back on the window.

"People make all kinds of bad decisions when they're lonely. You should know that" Merle said, turning to look at Michonne.

"Is that what you did?" Michonne asked, still not looking in Merle's direction, "is that why you were with the Governor?"

"Maybe" Merle said with a shrug, "beats living out in the woods by yourself. That's why you're with these Alexandrians right? Like I said before, when I shot you it weren't nothin' personal. It was just business. I did think you were dead, but I hoped you weren't. I had to admire your resourcefulness. The way you killed off all my guys, it kinda scared the shit out of me."

"Hmmph" Michonne mumbled.

"I bet if we didn't meet the Governor first, and you and I found the prison separately, we would've gotten along eventually."

"I doubt that" Michonne muttered.

"Or, if you'd played nice with the Governor and he wanted you to stay, you probably would've fit right in as one of my lieutenants. We have a lot in common you and I."

Michonne turned her head towards Merle and glared at him. "That _never_ would've happened" she spat.

Merle chuckled and nodded his head. "Nah, I guess it wouldn't've. We wouldn't've gotten along _nearly_ as well as you and the sheriff."

MIchonne cut her eyes back towards the window.

"Nope, not at all" Merle continued. "You and the boy are like peas in a pod. And the sheriff? A blind man could see through him. Sayin' he would kill you if the Alexandrians tried something? Hmmph. Ain't no way."

Michonne didn't bother to look at Merle, but his words were bothering her. Was the connection between she and Rick that obvious to everyone?

"Hey, when I said you and Blondie were all cuddled up in the forest before, I was just yankin' your chain, but for real though, did you and her have something goin' on?" Merle asked curiously.

Michonne slowly turned her head towards Merle and looked him up and down. She then said with a straight face, "I guess you'll never know."

Merle's head snapped to Michonne in surprise. "What? No. You're just playin' with me right?"

Michonne, glad that she'd taken Merle by surprise, resumed her vigil of looking out the window.

"Hey, are you joking? You're joking, right?" he asked again, almost pleading for her to elaborate. Michonne, enjoying the agony on his face continued her silence with a smirk.

***Can08writer***

Two hours later, she and Merle rolled up to the gates of Alexandria. She had to hold back a smile at how relieved she was to be back for good. It was a conflicting emotion since she also was missing Carl and Judith (and maybe even Rick) already.

"Have fun" Merle said, as if he were dropping his child off at school. Michonne rolled her eyes at him and let out an annoyed sigh as she climbed out of the Jeep and approached the gates, Merle turning his car around and driving off.

The gates were closed and she couldn't see anyone on watch. She raised her fist and knocked on the gates loudly. She could hear no sounds for a few seconds, and then she heard whispering coming from the other side of the gates.

"Should we open it?" someone said.

Michonne frowned.

"The car left, I think she's staying" someone else answered.

"I can hear you, and open the gate" Michonne said angrily. _What the hell was going on?_

Whoever was on the other side of the gate left her standing outside for a few more minutes, causing her anger to reach higher and higher heights until she heard the sound of the gates unlocking and being pulled back slightly.

Negan poked his head through the semi-open gate.

"You're back" he said, his voice not noting any emotion.

"I am" Michonne said, nodding. "Am I welcome here?"

Negan moved out the way and let her into the gates. Two Alexandrians, neither of which she knew the names of looked at her suspiciously, and she knew they must've been the ones she heard talking on the other side of the gate.

Michonne glanced around her and saw the streets of Alexandria were empty except for those on watch. The sounds of children playing, and people going about their business was noticeably silenced. Michonne knew something was wrong.

"What's going on?" she asked Negan, "where is everyone?".

Negan practically snarled at Michonne. "Out making bullets for Rick. what do you think we've been doing since you left?"

"Since I left?" Michonne asked, instantly getting angry. "I didn't leave, I was taken. Or did you forget?"

"You didn't seem to be taken when I got over there" Negan said, his voice raising too. "You didn't seem to want to get out of there. It looked like they treated you pretty damn good" Negan said, his eyes wandering over her body.

"What? Were your feelings hurt because they didn't torture me? How dare you!" Michonne screamed, her eyes flashing. "I was there to protect you and everyone else here. I was there to prevent you from being killed."

"When i tried to save you, you told me not to" Negan countered.

"Because you weren't saving me!" Michonne yelled. She then lowered her voice when she realized everyone by the gates were staring at her.

"You were going to go on a suicide mission, and you were gonna get everyone else killed. I wanted you not to attack The Family because I didn't want you and everyone else to die."

"So what you said about not loving me? Was that true?" Negan asked softly, his eyes narrowing and staring at her.

Michonne met his eyes and then looked away. Negan stared at her for a few seconds and then looked away as well.

"You can have the guest room if you still want to stay in our house" Negan said, turning his back on her. He then walked away.

***Can08writer***

Michonne sat on her bed in the guest room of what used to be her home with Negan. She hadn't seen him for the rest of the day and their home was dead silent. Disturbingly silent. Usually, she had no problem being alone. Before she'd met Negan on the road she was alone all the time. And although she did enjoy his company, she also enjoyed the moments when she was by herself. But now, now that she was alone she had a lot to think about. Too much. She couldn't stop her mind from focusing on Carl and Judith. And, as an extension, Rick.

She was shocked at how much she already missed Carl. If she was at the factory right now they'd probably be hanging out in the library reading something, or she'd be watching his target practice with Sasha. Or, maybe she'd be eating dinner with Rick and the rest of the family. She didn't want Carl to feel like she'd abandoned him, or their whole relationship was a lie.

' _Kind of how Negan feels'_ she thought.

And was Negan wrong? She didn't think she was using him when she first met him. She didn't think anything at all. He was the only person she'd come across in so long, her whole life was just the two of them.

Negan fulfilled a need in her life, and she did in his, and that was all there was to it. She didn't take the time to think about whether she loved him or not, because it didn't matter. He was warm, he was comforting, he was someone she could count on, and he was alive. He fit all the criteria she needed at the time.

Even when they settled here in Alexandria, it was just assumed that they'd be together, they'd live together. And there was no one else that she wanted to live with, so it wasn't a problem. She was happy with him, she was content, but now that she thought about it, she never completely let Negan in. She didn't tell him about Andre. She didn't tell him about Andrea or her past. Their relationship, or more accurately their friendship, was superficial. She didn't realize it then, but she realized it now.

But the worst part was _he_ didn't think it was. He had opened up to her, but she didn't do the same for him. He accepted that she didn't want to talk about what had happened to her and allowed her to keep her walls up.

Carl was the first person who made her want to begin to take her walls down and she had, a little bit. Holding Judith was a balm to her hurting soul. She had never dealt with Andre's death, but Judith helped her begin. And Rick… she still was unsure of what she felt towards him, but she knew that it was different than what she felt with Negan. She was content with Negan, but she felt something more for Rick. Like… she wanted to take down some of her walls with him. Maybe it was because he had a family. Maybe it was because of the way he wanted to protect his children. It was something she couldn't explain. Something she couldn't understand. She should hate him, but she didn't. And that last night at his house she'd wanted to kiss him. She still did.

The sound of the front door opening and closing brought her back to reality. Negan was back. She could hear him walking through the kitchen and opening the refrigerator. Michonne didn't know what to do. She knew she'd have to talk to him eventually, but she didn't know what she'd say. She had never had an opportunity to think about her future before. It was always just live, survive, survive, and then live. This man had stood by her in her darkest times, and she didn't want to hurt him, but she also didn't want to lie to him. She decided she would hide in her room until she had to confront him.

Michonne went into her bathroom and took a long shower, hoping to ease her mind and help her come up with a way she could express her feelings to Negan without hurting him. When she got out, she wrapped a towel around her body and opened the bathroom door, and was startled to see Negan sitting on her bed, waiting for her.

"What are you doing!" Michonne yelped in surprise.

"Oh shit, sorry. I didn't mean to fucking scare you" he said, hopping off the bed.

Michonne held her hand to her chest trying to calm down.

"You want me to come back?" Negan asked.

Michonne took a deep breath. "No, it's fine" she said quickly, but in reality it wasn't fine. She still hadn't worked out how to tell him what she'd decided.

He sat back down on the bed, and a silence settled between them. Michonne felt awkward and naked standing in front of Negan in nothing but her towel. She had gotten dressed in front of Negan dozens of times before and it'd never bothered her, but now, it just felt awkward.

Something wasn't the same, and she now recognized what it was. She was falling for Rick Grimes. Against all odds. After everything that had gone down, and she knew that Negan was going to be livid when she told him.

"I shouldn't have come at you the way I did when you got here" Negan started off.

"Its okay" Michonne said quickly.

"No, its not. You're right, you didn't leave, you were kidnapped. And I'm sorry for confusing that. I know it had to be hard, living with them. And I know you didn't want me to attack them for my sake. I shouldn't've said what I said. You've been my whole world for a long time, and when they took you, it was hard. But I realized I put the pressure of my whole world on your shoulders and you didn't ask for that." Negan stood and crossed his arms against his chest. "I can be an asshole sometimes, as you're well aware, and I'm sorry."

Michonne clutched her towel against herself as she listened to Negan. He seemed sincere, making her feel worse about her own feelings.

"It's okay. You were my whole world too" Michonne said to Negan, and he paused and narrowed his eyes again.

"I _was_ your whole world? What changed?" Negan asked.

Michonne's eyes narrowed. "Look, I don't think it's a good idea if we talk right now. Everything I say you're trying to twist around" she said.

"I want to know what the fuck happened to you over there. Did they hurt you? Did you learn anything useful? Are there any targets we should focus on? Something! I don't know what's been going on with you for the past week! I fucking care about you Michonne, and that son of a bitch took you away and I was worried. Fuck, why did he even let you go?" Negan asked, throwing his hands up in frustration. He wanted something from her, what exactly he wasn't sure, but something.

Michonne walked over to her closet and pulled out a robe. She couldn't continue this conversation in a towel. Negan stared at her as she wrapped the robe around her body, and then let the towel fall to the floor. He noticed that she remained covered the entire time. Something she'd never done with him before.

"They didn't hurt me" Michonne said.

"So what did they… he… do to you?" Negan asked. "C'mon Michonne, why the fuck are you so silent about this?"

Michonne held her robe together with her arms that were crossed against her chest. She still felt vulnerable, but she sucked it up. She had to be honest with Negan, he deserved that much.

"They locked me up for a while. Once you brought those walkers over I was helping them clear them away, and Rick's son…"

"Rick has a son?" Negan exclaimed. "That's fucking great! Maybe we can use that…"

"No!" Michonne said sharply. "We're not going to go after his son. We don't do that. What's wrong with you?"

"In case you haven't noticed, our people are working like slaves to make those bullets that Rick collects every few weeks. It's pretty much all we have time to do. This peace you think our communities have is resting on our backs."

"We can talk to them. They don't know how hard this is for us. _I_ didn't know. We can compromise with them."

"You're defending him?" Negan asked.

"No. But no one is going after children" Michonne said in a voice that let him know she was serious. "Rick's son was good to me. He's a good kid. I got to know him a lot."

"So let me get this straight. While Rick was holding you prisoner you became besties with his son?!"

"Just shut up and let me finish!" Michonne shot back, getting as annoyed as Negan was. "I saw how things work there. They're not bad people Negan. They're human beings, they're trying to survive like we are. Rick will listen to reason. We may be able to negotiate…"

"What the fuck did they do to you Michonne?" Negan asked in disgust. "Did they brainwash you? Did they torture you in that cell and make you fucking forget that Rick murdered Jesus? That he kept us prisoner in our own town for days? That they're still bullying the Hilltop for food?"

"I didn't forget" Michonne said, stepping towards Negan. "I didn't forget what they did for one second, but did you forget what we did to them? That we murdered 25 of their people while they slept? We've done more to them than they've done to us. We can end this conflict with negotiation, not war. We'd never stand a chance in a war against them."

"What's the real reason you wanna negotiate Michonne?" Negan asked, taking a step towards her menacingly. "You want to protect his son don't you? You're worried more about his son than your own people! Or is it more than his son? You seemed pretty content there while I was a prisoner. Did something else catch your fancy? Someone else?"

Michonne bristled. "What are you accusing me of Negan?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"You've been different. Ever since I saw you that night. You went there one version of Michonne, and came back another. And I know it has something to do with Rick. I know it. Just tell me Michonne. What is happening between you and him? After all the shit we've been through I deserve the truth."

Michonne moistened her lips and looked away. She then slowly met Negan's eyes.

"I just got to know them. They're not monsters."

"And _we_ are?" Negan asked, looking for a fight.

"No. _That's_ why we need to negotiate."

"And?" Negan asked, not believing that was the only thing Michonne had to say.

"And… I think… I have feelings for him" Michonne finally stated.

"Feelings?" Negan asked, appalled. "Feelings? What the fuck, Michonne? What kind of fucking feelings do you have for _Rick_? Rick! Are you fucking kidding me? You're gonna leave me over that limp dicked motherfucker? What, did he give you the fucking of a lifetime or something? His dick bigger than mine?"

"No" Michonne said, "Nothing happened like that."

"Then what the fuck happened!" Negan screamed, getting in her face. "He took you prisoner! And when you left you were my girl. And now you're his?"

Negan looked like she'd punched him in the gut. He took a step back from her and rubbed the back of his head.

"Holy shit" he said in disbelief. "So Rick motherfucking Grimes made you realize that you love _him_?"

"I didn't say that" Michonne said in her defense.

"So what are you fucking saying?"

"I don't know. I'm just being honest with you Negan. We never had to hide things from each other, so I'm telling you how I feel. I never meant to hurt you, I didn't know that I was hurting you. I don't know how I feel for Rick, and that doesn't matter. What matters is that we don't do something that will lead to the people we care about being killed."

"Well don't worry about me, since I'm obviously not one of those people. Go back to Rick if you want to Michonne. Go live with The Family, and reap the benefits of everyone else's hard work. Sit back and watch your former friends and family slave away to provide supplies for your boyfriend and his son." Negan shook his head in disgust. "I should've left your ass out there in the woods where I found you."

Negan turned around and walked out the bedroom, slamming the door on Michonne.

***can08writer***

A week later:

Rick stood at the gates of the factory as a truck pulled inside. The driver parked in front of Rick and the truck let out a low hiss before it was shut off. Rick walked around to the back of the truck, unlocked the door and pulled the loading gate up. The gate slide upwards with a loud rattle, and Rick was shocked to see a few dozen crates of vegetables, five gallons of milk, and a couple of other odds and ends but the truck was in no way full.

"What's this?" Rick asked Laura, who emerged from the driver's side of the truck.

"This is all we got from Hilltop. They said a plague of weevils destroyed half their crop and they had to burn it. I took everything else they have, but it doesn't even fill up a truck."

Rick scrunched his face in confusion. "Are you sure they're not lying? You checked their cellars? The houses?"

"Yea we checked, there was nothing there and a bunch of their crops had been burned. This is all they had left. I figured at least we got _our_ share."

Rick paused and rubbed his hand across his forehead. If this was all Hilltop had left to eat they were in big trouble. This wasn't even enough food to feed everyone at one of The Family's outposts, it certainly wasn't enough to feed a whole town. They'd starve before they had time to grow more.

"No" Rick said, shaking his head. "We can't take this. We won't. Go to our storage garage and give them some of our canned goods. Fill the truck. We'll ration for a few weeks but we'll survive."

Laura stared at Rick, dumbstruck. "Are you serious?" she asked.

"I am. They gave us food when we had nothin' whether it was unwillingly or not. We don't survive if they don't. We need them."

Laura sighed and tilted her head to the side. "What the hell Rick? I thought our motto was Family First?"

"I'm thinking about The Family. Without Hilltop's cooperation we starve. Without Alexandria's cooperation we run out of bullets. We need both of those communities. Maybe I've been going about this all wrong. I was taking advantage of them, using our might to intimidate them into working for us, when we can just work together. If we don't show compassion to others it's gonna come back to kill us later on."

Laura continued to stare at Rick unconvinced.

"Just… do what I said. Please Laura?" Rick asked.

She sighed but turned around and headed towards the storage garage.

Carl emerged from the factory as Rick was heading back inside.

"Is that the truck from Hilltop?" he asked, "Judy needs some more milk."

"Yea it was" Rick said, "but it's goin' back there."

"What? Why?" Carl asked.

"'Cuz they're coming on hard times. They had to burn their crops and they don't have enough food for themselves. We're gonna give 'em some of ours. We're gonna need to ration for a while, 'til they get back on their feet."

Carl stared at Rick for a few seconds.

"So you're giving them _our_ food?" he asked to clarify.

"Yea. We're gonna do what's right" Rick said.

A smile slowly spread across Carl's face and he turned and walked with his father back into the factory. Rick was surprised that Carl had nothing to say.

"You don't have any opinions about that?" Rick asked.

Carl shook his head. "No dad, I'm just glad you're doing the right thing."

Carl's words hit Rick like a ton of bricks. Had he not been doing the right thing all this time? Had he been on the wrong path? He thought he was being reasonable and fair with his dealings with Hilltop and Alexandria, but maybe Carl didn't think so.

"What? Don't I always do the right thing?" Rick prodded Carl.

"You do what's good for _us_ , and I know sometimes in life people have to lose, but it would be nice if sometimes everybody wins. Dad, Michonne told me her people aren't happy about trading bullets with us for clothes, they're just scared of us. They're doing it because we're making them. Imagine if some group made _us_ trade with _them._ You know you'd be thinking of a way to get out of it. Eventually you'd fight them if they kept trying to force us to do something we didn't want to.

Rick stopped walking and stared at Carl. Carl, realizing that his father was no longer next to him stopped and turned around looking confused.

"You're right" Rick said, nodding his head slightly, "you're right. We can find a way where everyone wins. We can't continue the way we're going forever. Thank you Carl."

Carl shrugged. "You're welcome."

"Hey, I think I'm gonna go to Alexandria tomorrow and talk to Michonne about changing the terms of our deal. You wanna come?"

Carl's eyes lit up. "Really?" he asked.

"Sure, I need my wingman with me" Rick said with a chuckle.

"I thought Merle was your wingman" Carl said sarcastically.

"Over you? No way" Rick said, ruffling Carl's hair. "But we're gonna leave pretty early tomorrow, and I know how you don't like to wake up early…"

"I'll be up" Carl interrupted, "I'll be ready."

***can08writer***

Michonne tossed and turned in her bed in the guest room all night. Against all odds, her relationship with Negan had gotten worse over the past few days. She'd lost her relationship with her best friend in the span of a few weeks, over a man who she'd only known for a few weeks but she felt like she'd known forever.

She'd wanted to calm Negan down, at least so they could talk to each other civilly, but she knew when he was upset it was best to stay out of his way. Exactly like her. So she stayed in her room until she heard him close the front door to leave the house every morning.

Michonne exercised in her bedroom, getting in her pushups, situps, and crunches before she started her day. Afterwards she'd eat a quick breakfast and find out where she was needed for the day. Most of the adults at Alexandria were working at least 12 hour shifts at the bullet making factory to keep up with the demand to make bullets to supply The Family. She had gone for a few days to help out there, but today she was assigned to gate duty. Michonne told the townspeople she'd talk to Rick about it but they looked at her skeptically.

"Why would Rick care?" Spencer asked in disbelief, "he wants his bullets and he's getting that."

"Because we can't sustain this level of work. People need to rest, and spend time with their families. He'll care about that" Michonne countered.

"Why would he?" Spencer asked.

"Just trust me" Michonne responded.

***can08writer***

It was midmorning when a van rolled up to the gates of Alexandria.

"It's from The Family" Aaron said, "I've seen that van before."

Michonne climbed down the ladder, unlocked the gates and slid them open as the van drove inside the gates and parked.

To Michonne's surprise, Rick, Carl, Merle, and Sasha climbed out.

"Michonne!" Carl yelled, running to her immediately.

"Carl!" she yelled in surprise, and then almost tripped when he flew to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, "hey I've missed you, what are you doing here?"

"Dad said I could come. We have big news."

Michonne looked up and felt that warm sensation again when she saw Rick. It had only been a week, but she couldn't hide the butterflies she felt in her belly at seeing him. Rick gave her a warm smile, his eyes crinkling in the corner, and his pink lips turning upwards. She noticed he'd grown his beard out a little more and it was gray on the ends. He also had a few grays in his eyebrows. It made him look even sexier than she'd remembered.

"I'm glad to see you" Rick said affably.

"Glad to see you too" Michonne admitted, "and we do have some things to talk about." Rick held her gaze and for a moment it was as if everyone else had disappeared, but Aaron walked into her peripheral vision, snapping Michonne out of her trance.

He cleared his throat, glancing from Rick to Michonne with his eyebrows raised high. Michonne was suddenly embarrassed. She knew how much her people hated Rick and how obvious it was for Merle to see their attraction. She had to play it cool.

"We can go to the church and have a meeting. I'll go gather some of the people who are around. Aaron, can you take them over to the church?" Michonne asked.

Aaron looked at her skeptically. He approached Michonne and whispered in her ear "You really think you can trust them?"

"I do" she said softly, "I'll meet you all there, I'm gonna get Negan and whoever else is around."

Aaron gave Michonne a look from the side of his eye, but he turned to lead Rick and the others to the church. Michonne had no idea where Negan was but she knew he hadn't gone to the factory today. She decided to look for him at the armory, he might've been doing an ammunition check.

She'd taken ten steps in the direction of the armory when a gunshot tore through the mostly quiet town. Michonne stopped in her tracks and spun towards the sound in confusion. It came from the direction of the townhouses.

She pulled her katana and ran towards the houses, but a loud scream coming from the direction of the church caused her to turn again. Michonne could see a figure on the ground, and Sasha had her gun up, pointed towards the houses Michonne was about to run to. Merle had his gun trained on Aaron, who had his hands up and looked just as confused as everyone else.

Rick was frozen in place, unable to move, as he stared at the figure on the ground. Rick was trembling and his mouth opened and closed a few times as if his brain was short circuiting.

Michonne sprinted towards the group and just as she got there, Rick dropped to his knees in front of Carl who was lying deathly still.

"Is he breathin'?" Merle asked Rick while keeping his eyes on Aaron.

When Michonne got closer she could finally see the damage. There was a hole in Carl's face where his right eye should be. She felt sick and faint. The blood was streaming out of the wound, drenching the pavement below his head. He looked so still and deathly pale.

"Help him" Rick choked out, looking up at Michonne as tears streamed down his face, "Help him please."


	10. Chapter 10

Michonne stopped breathing when she saw Carl's face. There was a hole in his head. A hole. Her heart was beating so fast she thought she might be having a heart attack.

Rick was staring down at Carl, his mouth open in a slack jawed gape. He seemed like he was trying to talk, but his words came out as desperate mumbles and sounds.

Rick tore his eyes from his son's limp body and they locked on to Michonne's. Without words, the two of them communicated on an other-worldy level. Almost intuitively, Rick shoved his forearms underneath his son's limp body and lifted him up, and he and Michonne took off through the streets of Alexandria.

Michonne led the way, racing to the infirmary, and Denise. She knew Denise had never treated an injury this serious, and she doubted Denise had ever done surgery before, but the woman was going to try. She had to try to save him.

Sasha and Merle were trailing behind the pair as cover, their guns still pointed at the rooftops, and Aaron jogged a few feet behind. Michonne burst through the infirmary door, making the door swing open and slam into the wall behind it. The loud crash caused Denise who was sitting on the floor reading a book to leap to her feet, the book tumbling from her hands.

"Denise! Gun- gunshot… he… he's shot. His face. Help him… his face!" Michonne screamed, barely able to piece a coherent sentence together in her panic.

Rick thrust Carl on to the examination table, but carefully cradled the boy's head as he put him down, Carl's blood running off of Rick's arms and staining his shirt and hands.

"Oh my… what… what happened? Who did this?" Denise asked, in shock herself.

"Help him" Rick barely whispered.

Denise stared at Carl's destroyed face and didn't even know where to begin. There was blood, and tissue, and bone, and fragments everywhere. She had only been in medical school for a few months before the stress and her panic attacks had caused her to drop out. She didn't know what to do. She didn't know where to start.

"Do something!" Michonne growled at her, enraged that Denise was just standing there as Carl potentially died in front of them.

"I… oh God… okay… uh… Michonne, turn on all the lights" Denise ordered, partially to stall, and partially to get Michonne out of her face for a few seconds.

While Michonne ran to turn on every light in the room, Denise went to Carl and placed a stethoscope on his chest. If his heart wasn't beating there was no point in doing anything else. She listened and to her surprise heard a soft beating reverberating in her ears.

"He's alive" Denise stated, that confirmation giving her some encouragement that maybe she could keep him that way.

"Don't let him die" Rick commanded seriously, his blue eyes staring into Denise's. It wasn't a request. She felt fear creep into her, but she couldn't be distracted by that right now.

"Rick, get me my gloves and mask, and that big container of distilled water" Denise ordered, ignoring his words to her. Rick hesitated to leave Carl's side, even for a second. "You want him to live? Do it now!" Denise ordered, and she felt empowered when he turned and did as she asked.

Denise studied the horrible injury. It didn't look like there was any hope at all of salvaging Carl's eye, but she had to clean the wound and stop the bleeding. If he was still breathing, maybe it didn't damage his brain, at least not too badly.

Rick came back with what Denise asked for, and she quickly put on her medical gear and got to work flushing the blood and debris out of the wound so she could see what she was working with.

Rick was hovering over Carl so closely that Denise elbowed him multiple times by accident, and Michonne was circling on the outskirts around the medical bed like a lioness, seemingly unable to stay still. Denise wasn't going to get anything done with these two lurking around and making her more nervous than she already was.

"Michonne, go get Rosita and Holly to help me with surgery" Denise ordered, "and take Rick with you."

"No. I'm not leaving him" Rick said, his eyes never once moving from Carl's face.

"You are not helping the situation right now Rick" Denise said, while closely studying Carl's face, trying to find one of the blood vessels that was currently pouring blood.

"I'm not leaving him!" Rick said, his voice getting louder, "he needs me."

Denise turned and stared at Michonne with a look that said 'get him out of here now'. Michonne knew Denise was right. Rick was in shock, and terrified, and worried, and there was no way he would listen to Denise and leave his son's side. But maybe he would listen to her.

"Rick" Michonne said, moving up behind him, "She needs space to do her job. Come with me to get more people who can help Carl, okay? You can't do anything for him right now, but she can."

Rick was trembling and tears freely rolled down his cheeks. He was covered in Carl's blood, and he reached up with his hand to wipe a tear, smudging more blood across his face.

"Come on Rick. Let's go. Let her save him" Michonne whispered in his ear from behind. Rick took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving Carl's face. "C'mon" Michonne urged again, "you're doing everything you can for him right now. Let's go get help."

Reluctantly, Rick stood up fully and backed away from Carl. Denise took the opportunity to continue working, now with more space for her elbows.

Rick backed towards the front door, and with more soft urging from Michonne he finally turned around and walked out, slowly closing the door behind him.

"He… he got… he's… I can't…" Rick said on the infirmary's porch, more tears filling up his eyes. He released a choked sob, his bloodstained hands making their way to his face.

Michonne was hesitant to touch Rick, she knew how powerful the spark between them was the last time they'd touched, and she didn't want that to distract the both of them right now, but he needed comfort, and she wanted to comfort him. She faced him and gently put her arm on his back, and then wrapped her other arm around him, pulling him into a loose hug. His body began to shake as the sobs continued, and he leaned down, resting his head on her shoulder as he cried.

"She'll do everything she can" Michonne said softly, gently rubbing circles on Rick's back. To be honest, his back felt amazing. She could feel the muscles that were bunched just underneath his shirt. She was close enough to him to smell him. She could feel and hear his heart beat as he pressed himself against her, burying his head in her shoulder.

She couldn't help but feel guilty about the butterflies that were fluttering through her with his proximity, so after a few seconds she gently pushed him away. He lifted his head from her and swiped at his eyes again.

"I brought him here, 'cuz I was gonna change everything. I wanted our people to work together, as true partners. I wanted us to have a future where our towns could cooperate. I brought him 'cuz I wanted him to see me making a better way for him. And now… he's dying… I… I'm so stupid" Rick said softly, his words almost incomprehensible because of the shaking in his voice.

"You're not stupid. You wanted something better for Carl, and he's still alive right now. Let's go get Denise the help she needs so that he can stay that way" Michonne said. Rick blinked at her and gave her a small nod and the two of them began to jog over to where Rosita and Holly lived, but the two women had already heard the gunshot and were on their way to the infirmary. Rosita took in Rick's bloodstained shirt and Michonne's shell shocked expression.

"His son was shot" Michonne explained quickly, "Denise needs help with surgery."

"How?" Rosita asked.

"We don't know. Please hurry, Denise needs you" Michonne said.

Rosita looked Rick up and down, glanced at Holly, and the two of them sprinted to the infirmary. Just as they left, Merle, Sasha, and Aaron jogged up to the pair.

"We checked out the house the gunshot came from, didn't find no one. We been going door to door, lookin' for someone who saw something. Not a one of them knows what happened, or they're keepin' their damn mouths shut" Merle said. He glanced over at Michonne suspiciously.

"I'm gonna call in a code red. Bring back-up over here" Merle said, reaching for his radio.

"No" Rick said, his voice coming out in a hoarse whisper. "I know who did this."

He turned to Michonne, his eyes morphing from sadness and grief, to anger and rage.

"Where's Negan?"

***can08writer***

Negan beat a path through the tangled trees, sprinting away from Alexandria. He had easily scaled the fence and disappeared into the woods. He had jogged at least a mile now, and he had to stop, resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He wanted to keep moving, to get as much distance between himself and the small town as possible. He knew they'd come looking for him.

Stopping to catch his breath gave his oxygen starved brain time to reflect on what he'd just done, and as soon as his mind started to go there he took off again, panting as he slapped trees and bushes out of his way.

He knew where he was going. He knew _she_ knew where he was going too. She'd come after him, one way or another, he knew that. The question was would she bring Rick? Would she turn him in? Would she shoot him herself? Either way, he was ready for that.

After more sprinting Negan reached his destination, a small storage shed hidden behind a house that was overgrown with weeds and shrubs. He and Michonne had stumbled on this place months ago, and they kept a stockpile of food and a few hidden weapons there, just in case. He unlocked the small shed and ducked inside, closing the door behind him. It was dark inside except for a few rays of light that still shown through the dirty window.

Negan stood alone in the silence. He knew he'd made a mistake. A big one. A stupid one. He'd acted on impulse, something that he'd been known to do, but he'd never done anything this foolish before. He knew he'd ruined everything, and she wouldn't forgive him. Not for this. He sighed and slowly sunk into a rusting metal chair. The only thing he could do now was wait.

***Can08writer***

"Rick, you need to be here."

"I need to find him. I'm gonna find him and shoot him in the face. I'm gonna murder him" Rick said, pacing back in forth on the sidewalk in front of the infirmary's steps. Denise, Rosita, and Holly had begun surgery to see the extent of the damage to Carl's head, and if there was anything they could do to prevent him from dying. Denise had quickly told the two of them that surgery could and probably would take hours, but once she heard that Rick and Carl had the same blood type she demanded that Rick stay just outside on the steps in case they needed a transfusion.

"We'll find him. We'll bring him back here. You need to stay", Michonne insisted.

"I won't. There's nothing I can do for Carl right now but kill the man who shot him."

"If they need your blood, or if… or if something goes wrong with the surgery… you will never forgive yourself if you weren't here for him. If he…"

Rick stopped and glanced at Michonne, his trembling lip revealing how broken he was.

"I… know what it's like for your child to slip away and you're not there. You have to stay for him" Michonne said, her eyes pleading with him.

Rick blinked rapidly and stared into Michonne's eyes more deeply. So she had a child too. He suspected it, but now it was confirmed. And her child had died. It explained why she got along with Carl so well.

"I can't just sit here" Rick said softly.

"That's exactly what you have to do. Carl is the most important thing for you to worry about right now. I'll go with Sasha and Merle, you put your focus on Carl."

Rick closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, his shoulders slumping as he did so. He pressed his finger to his eye for a few seconds as he collected himself. Deep down he knew he couldn't leave his deathly injured son here by himself in the presence of strangers. He couldn't leave knowing he was the only one who could give Carl blood. And Michonne was right. If Carl died and Rick was gone, he'd never get over it. As much as he hated it, he would have to sit tight and wait.

Rick opened his eyes, rolled his shoulders, and reluctantly turned around and took a seat on the bench on the infirmary's front porch. He then nodded to Michonne.

"Thank you" Rick said.

Michonne nodded back, and then turned to join Sasha and Merle who had climbed into the van at the gates, ready to search for Negan.

***Can08writer***

Michonne knew where Negan probably was. The little storage shack was the only place he'd be if he couldn't go back to the town. She knew he was probably waiting for her there, but she didn't know what mental condition he was in in order for him to have done what he did.

She wanted to check out the shed alone. If he wasn't there fine, but if he was, she wanted to have a chance to talk to him, to find out what the hell he was thinking, without Sasha and Merle there to heighten tensions.

"We should split up" Michonne said, once Merle pulled up to the small community Michonne said Negan might have run to. She wasn't lying, but she didn't tell them exactly where he'd be.

"Why the hell would we do that?" Merle asked, eyeing Michonne.

"Because we can cover more ground apart then if we're together" Michonne said, staring back at Merle.

Sasha glanced at Michonne with her eyes narrowed. "And which part of the community are _you_ going to?" she asked.

"The school. I'll clear that area. Merle, maybe you should check the houses on that street over there, and Sasha there's a few office buildings right here. We can get this done faster if we spread out."

"And what if he's waiting to ambush us once we split up?" Sasha asked.

"What if he's waiting to ambush us while we're all together?" Michonne countered. "Look, if you want to stick together fine, but the second he sees all three of us, if he's here, he's gonna take off."

Sasha looked at Michonne for a few seconds and then nodded and turned to Merle. "C'mon, we split up, if anyone sees him give a yell or fire your gun. Watch your back."

Michonne quickly made a beeline to the storage shed of a house behind the school building. She knew if Negan came here, that was where he'd hide out. Once she reached the shed, she opened the unlocked door with her gun raised. It was dark and silent inside.

Michonne slipped inside and gently closed the door behind her.

There was silence in the shed, but Michonne could sense she wasn't alone. She took a step forward and her shoe creaked on a floorboard.

Suddenly, a figure moved in the far corner and she cocked her gun. The figure moved forward into a sliver of light let in from the dim window and revealed the face of Negan.

"'Chonne" Negan said softly.

"What have you done?" Michonne gasped, aiming her gun at Negan's face, her eyes wide and wild.

He stood before her, aiming his own gun back at her as they stared into each other's eyes. Michonne was glaring at him, rage, and hurt, and fear in her eyes.

"You shot him. Why? _Why?_ He never did anything to you!" she said, her hand shaking from the overwhelming emotions. She was on the verge of tears.

"I didn't mean to" Negan admitted, lowering his weapon. "I wasn't aiming for the kid. You have to believe me."

"So you were trying to kill Rick?" Michonne asked, her weapon still pointed at Negan's head.

"I saw him walking through our town. I saw him and I wasn't thinking, I just… snapped. Yea, I tried to fucking shoot that prick. I'll admit to that. But the boy, I didn't even see him 'til after. I wasn't trying to hurt him. Is he alive? Did he…"

Michonne stepped forward, shoving the gun closer to Negan's face.

"You almost killed him. You might have killed him. You just couldn't wait could you?" she screamed in his face. "Everything is about you. _Your_ wants, _your_ needs. You couldn't think about anyone else could you? Not even me. Rick was about to make a deal with us for all of us to work together, and you shot his son."

"I didn't mean to. You've gotta believe me on that Michonne. I know what I said before, but I wouldn't hurt a kid…"

"You're an idiot" Michonne growled, her eyes narrowing in disgust.

"I ain't gonna deny that" Negan said seriously, "but the question is, what happens now? Where do we go from here? 'Cuz you know if you bring me back there Rick will kill me. And the only one who _can_ bring me back there is you. If you tell me to come back I won't fight you, but if one of Rick's people tries, well let's just say I won't hold back against them."

"Why did it have to come to this?" Michonne asked, a tear quickly tumbling down her cheek, so fast that it was hard for Negan to determine if he really saw it or not.

"Michonne, you're all I have" Negan admitted, slightly shaking his head. "I'm sorry I couldn't be who you needed. But Rick, he's not worthy of you either. You deserve so much more, more than either of us. No matter if he kills me or not, one day you'll see it."

Michonne shook her head and slowly moved her gun downwards towards the floor.

"Look, it doesn't have to be this way" Negan said, staring into Michonne's eyes. "We can just go. The two of us. We survived out there alone, we can handle ourselves. We can start over and…"

"Just shut up Negan" Michonne said, her lips tightening. "I owe you for the life that I have now, but I've paid some of my debt already, and I'm paying the rest in full right now, right here. You can go, I won't bring you back to Alexandria and I won't tell them that I saw you. But if they catch you, or you ever come back, I won't stop what they do to you. And if you try to hurt Rick or Carl again, I swear I'll kill you myself."

"So it's like that huh?" Negan asked, "after everything… you choose him?"

"I'd get going if I were you" Michonne said, "they're searching these woods for you right now."

Negan looked at Michonne with sadness in his eyes. He really couldn't believe that this is how his story with her ended, but he could tell she was serious, and he believed she'd shoot him if he gave her a reason to.

He nodded and accepted his fate. "I'm sorry. About all of this", he said.

Michonne didn't answer, but she moved away from his path to the door. Taking the hint, Negan grabbed a bag he'd filled with supplies, and walked past Michonne to the door. He turned back towards her again.

"I don't think this will be the last time I see you. No matter what, I think our fates are tied together."

"I hope for your sake that's not true Negan. I told you what will happen if you come back" Michonne said coldly.

Negan gave one last emotionless nod before turning and closing the door behind him, the sound of his feet crunching on the leaves slowly fading away.

Taking a moment, Michonne closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall behind her. Before she could help it tears rolled down her face. She grimaced and allowed the emotions to show for just a minute before she took a deep encompassing breath and wiped her face. She couldn't indulge her feelings right now. She had to pretend to inspect the school, meet up with the others, and then get back to Alexandria as soon as possible to check on Rick and Carl.

***Can08writer***

Michonne walked into the infirmary and was surprised to see the front operating table empty and clean. Holly was mopping the floor and the remains of what Michonne assumed was Carl's blood.

"Where's Carl? Did he…" Michonne asked, unable to finish her question. Rick wasn't on the front porch when she, Merle, and Sasha had returned, and the lack of Carl had her on full alert.

"He pulled through the surgery" Holly said, and Michonne let out an audible breath.

"It's touch and go right now. He's breathing on his own, but… he's still in critical condition. He can crash at any time. And we're still unsure of the damage done to his brain. The damage done to his face is severe though."

Michonne wrapped her arms around herself.

"Dr. Denise gave him meds to put him in a coma, to take the stress off his brain and the rest of his body, so we won't know what's really going on until he wakes up."

"And… and when will he wake up?" Michonne asked.

"Dr. Denise said it could be anytime between days or weeks."

Michonne felt her heart flutter in her chest. _Weeks? He could be in a coma for weeks?_

"Where is he? And Rick?" Michonne asked.

"We moved him to a bed in the back room. Right over there. Rick is in there with him" Holly said.

When Michonne started to make her way towards it, Holly hesitated for a moment and then called to Michonne.

"Michonne?"

"Yea?" Michonne asked, turning back around.

"Rick has been sitting there for three hours straight just staring at Carl. Maybe you can get him to wash off some of the blood on him, or change his shirt, or… even eat something. We took blood from him twice during the surgery, and he won't eat to bring his blood sugar back up. If he goes for much longer like this he might faint. And we already have our hands full monitoring Carl."

"I'll try" Michonne said, and then turned around and made her way to the closed bedroom door. She knocked twice and then opened it.

Carl was laying flat on his back in the bed, a pillow tucked under his head, and the covers pulled up to his chest. Michonne could hardly see his face with all of the bandages that were wrapped around it. He looked like a mummy.

On the few parts of his skin that was visible around his mouth and his left cheek, Michonne could see splatters of blood that hadn't been cleaned off. She could also tell that his face had begun to swell badly from the horrific injury. This poor boy would have permanent scars from this besides his missing eye, if he even survived.

Rick was sitting in a chair directly next to Carl's bed, and he looked exactly as he had when Michonne had left to look for Negan. He had the blood smear across his cheek, and dried blood on his hands and arms. Tear marks streaked his face, and his hair was a ruffled mess. Michonne also noticed that he looked a few shades paler than he had when she'd left him. His hand was tightly clenched around Carl's right hand, and he was gently stroking his son's knuckles as he stared at a wall across the room. He didn't seem to be aware of Michonne's presence.

"Rick?" Michonne called. Rick blinked a few times, and slowly turned his head towards her, but he didn't answer.

"Holly filled me in on what's going on with him" Michonne said, closing the bedroom door behind her, and standing next to his chair.

He didn't answer, but his eyes focused on his son's face.

"He's… he's gonna be sleeping for a while. If you want to I can stay with him while you get something to eat…"

"No" he said sharply, cutting her off.

Michonne paused, but then nodded her head, understanding that he didn't mean to be snippy.

"I'm not… I'm not hungry" he said, trying to explain.

"It's okay Rick. It's fine. I can get you some water, to wash yourself. You have blood on your face" Michonne said, pointing to his cheek.

He shook his head. "I'm fine. I have to… I can't… do that now."

Michonne nodded, not trying to push him. She knew he was almost at the end of his rope. There was silence for a few moments and then Rick, his eyes not leaving his son's face, said "you didn't bring him back."

Michonne fidgeted slightly as she stood next to Rick.

"No" she said. "Sasha and Merle are going to go out looking again tomorrow. It got too dark outside and we had to come back."

Rick continued to stare at Carl.

"Did you want to bring him back?" Rick asked.

Michonne felt a stab of guilt run through her. She had had an opportunity to bring Negan in and she'd let him go, but she was serious about what she'd said. If Merle and Sasha caught him, she wouldn't interfere.

"If they catch him, he'll have to pay for what he did. Whatever that punishment is" Michonne said, in a non-answer.

Rick quietly stroked Carl's knuckles.

"This isn't the first time he's been shot y'know?" Rick asked, lifting Carl's hand and pressing a kiss to it. Michonne's eyes widened at the news. She had no idea Carl had been shot twice.

"He got shot before, in the abdomen. He almost died that time too. It happened in the beginning. A few weeks after… everything. A kind man named Hershel, Maggie's father, saved him. But it was like this. I had to wait, seeing if he'd live or die. My wife Lori was with me, that made it a little better. I don't know how I can deal with this alone."

Michonne quickly grabbed another pull out chair and slid it next to Rick's and then sat down. She wanted to hold his hand and give him some comfort, but instead she let her proximity do the talking.

"You're not alone" she stated.

He slowly turned his head to her and gazed directly into her eyes. Her heart skipped a beat under his gaze. The way he was staring at her made her have difficulty breathing, and she could feel the heat rise in her cheeks. She noticed his eyes suddenly drop to her lips, and then flick up to meet her eyes again, but he turned back to Carl's face, and Michonne was grateful.

"Judith, she was shot before too", Rick stated.

Michonne audibly gasped. _Who would shoot a baby?_

"We were attacked on the road. The men were gonna… they were gonna do some horrible things to Carl, and Maggie's sister Beth. Beth was holding Judith and they shot her, the bullet went through Judith's leg and into Beth. She didn't survive, but Judith did. But I keep thinkin', what am I doing as a father, that both of my children keep getting hurt? What am I doing wrong? My two children have been shot three times in total, and I've been shot twice. It's only a matter of time until I lose one of them. And I think that time might be now."

"Don't" Michonne said, wanting to grab Rick's hand, but holding the sheets on Carl's bed instead. "Don't think like that. I've been shot too, by Merle. I almost died, but I didn't. And you have to think of the fact that both of your children have been shot but they've survived. You've been shot, but you've survived. Your family are all survivors. I am too. Other people aren't so lucky, but whatever you're doing, your children made it."

Michonne sighed and turned her head away from Rick as a wave of sadness washed through her.

"Not everyone's children make it" she said with a slight tremble in her voice.

Rick turned back to her, and before he could stop himself he reached out and rested his pointer finger on her hand that was resting on Carl's sheets. Immediately she felt the electricity, and Rick did too, but neither of them pulled away. He wasn't even fully holding her hand, but the skin to skin contact was like fireworks.

Rick slowly rubbed Michonne's hand with one pointer finger as he pretended not to notice his body's yearning to touch more of her. He didn't know how much more Michonne wanted to reveal about her child, and since she didn't say anything else, he asked "are you okay?"

She nodded and swiped at her eyes with the hand that Rick wasn't currently stroking.

"I should really be asking you that" she said, "Is there anything _you_ need right now?" Michonne asked.

"I need my son to be okay" Rick said softly, "I need him to live."


	11. Chapter 11

Rick and Michonne spent the next two nights in Carl's room at the infirmary, sleeping on the two uncomfortable chairs they'd dragged in there. Carl hadn't woken up and Rick and Michonne watched in horror as his face swelled up to twice its size.

Michonne had watched Denise closely every time she'd changed Carl's bandages, and she couldn't help the nausea that rose in her stomach from the boy's wounds. His eye socket was empty. Denise had to remove the remnants of his right eyeball, as well as a large section of bone, and the horrific injury was overwhelming to view. Every time Denise came in to clean the site, Rick also turned away. He couldn't bear to see the damage done to his son from the single bullet.

After cleaning out Carl's wound, Denise asked Michonne to step out of the room with her.

"Yea?" Michonne asked impatiently when Denise just fidgeted in front of her.

"I'm just gonna give it to you straight" Denise said quietly, "I ran out of the medication that will keep the boy in a coma, and I'll use up the last of the medication to reduce brain swelling today. I'll run out of pain killers in the next two days so I'm thinking about not giving them to him anymore until he's actually awake. At this point, he can wake up at any time, or never, it's all up to Carl, but we don't have the medication to keep him going indefinitely. He can't eat or drink when he's unconscious, but I'll run out of IV fluids in the next few days. I just don't have the medical equipment to keep him alive for long while he's unconscious."

"What does he need?" Michonne asked.

"He needs a feeding tube and fluids. But he also needs the nutrients that would go in a feeding tube. At this point anything you might find will be long expired. In other words, if he doesn't wake up soon he'll die of dehydration, or he'll starve to death."

Michonne rolled her eyes, placing her hand on her forehead. She then let out a frustrated sigh. "Why aren't you telling all this to Rick?" she asked.

"You know why. The same reason no one has come in there to bother him in two days. He's like a stressed out lion. I was hoping maybe you'd be the best person to tell him."

Michonne blinked rapidly and spun around to face Carl's bedroom door again.

"Thanks Denise" she mumbled quickly, before heading back into the room. Rick had to know all this, but she'd tell him later.

 *****can08writer*****

"It's been two days, you need to eat something" Michonne demanded, standing in front of Rick with her arms crossed.

"I'm not hungry" he said dismissively.

"I know you're not, but you're gonna eat anyway. Carl will need you strong when he wakes up."

"It's okay" Rick said, continuing to stare at Carl's breathing.

"Rick!" Michonne said, startling the man with her tone, "You're eating. Here, Aaron and Eric were nice enough to bring you some spaghetti" she said, shoving the plate on to his lap with a fierceness that made him understand no wasn't an option. He took the plate from her.

"I'll have to thank them. You think they'd try to poison me?" Rick asked in an attempt to make a joke.

"No Rick, they wouldn't. And everyone in town is rooting for Carl. No child should have to go through what he's going through."

Rick nodded. "Tell your people to stop working if they're still trying to make their bullet quota. We have to change a lot of things. I have to change. When… when I'm able, I want to have that meeting with your town, but I want Hilltop to be there too. We all have to work together. I know that now. Carl helped me to figure that out. You did too."

Before he could continue talking, Michonne stood.

"You finish eating. When you're done, come outside and meet me on the porch. There's something I have to talk to you about. It's about Carl" Michonne said.

"What? What about him?" Rick asked, the plate of food being the last thing on his mind.

"Just come meet me when you're done" Michonne said, heading for the bedroom door, "you need to get out of this room anyway. Denise will keep an eye on Carl."

Michonne then promptly turned and left the room, not giving Rick enough time to protest.

After Rick forced himself to finish his plate of spaghetti as she commanded, he joined Michonne who was waiting patiently for him on the infirmary's porch. He settled down next to her as she looked off at the still community. It was the first time he'd left the infirmary since Carl's surgery, and he squinted at the bright sun that was just starting to dip below the horizon. Michonne could feel the nervous energy Rick was radiating, and she knew it was because she said she'd needed to talk about Carl.

"What is it?" Rick asked, cutting to the chase.

Michonne took a small breath and turned towards him. His face had deep wrinkles that seemed to appear overnight. His clothes were still bloodstained from two days ago because he refused to leave Carl's side long enough to take a shower. She was shocked that he'd actually eaten the plate of spaghetti. As much as she didn't want to pile more stress on the already distressed father, she had to let him know what the stakes were.

She quickly relayed to Rick everything that Denise had told her.

Rick blinked a few times and narrowed his eyes.

"So she's saying Carl will starve before he wakes up?" Rick asked harshly, his grief and despair turning into anger.

"No" Michonne said calmly, knowing that Rick's anger wasn't directed at her. "She's saying he has to wake up soon. She still has IV fluids for him for a few more days to keep him hydrated, it's just food that's the problem, we have no way to get him to eat."

Rick blinked back tears, trying to hold on to his anger as long as possible to stop himself from collapsing.

"Why didn't she tell me this herself?" He spat, jumping off the bench and pacing in front of Michonne.

Michonne sighed. "This is why" she said, motioning with her palms facing upwards and pointing them at Rick. "You're pacing around the porch like you're about to punch the next person who speaks to you. Denise is afraid of you."

Rick stopped pacing and turned to Michonne.

"And you're not?" Rick asked.

"Have I _ever_ given you the idea that I'm afraid of you?" Michonne asked, tilting her head to the side.

Rick, although his mouth stayed tight, his eyes softened slightly in amusement at Michonne's words.

"No. I guess you haven't."

He crossed his arms and then leaned them on the railing of the porch. Michonne got up from the bench and stood beside him, the orange sunlight reflecting off of both of their skin. Rick couldn't help but notice how much her skin glowed in the light, but he kept his observations to himself.

"I can't accept that" he said quietly, shaking his head. "I will do whatever it takes to keep Carl alive. If I have to blend up food and pour it down Carl's throat I will. He's not dying. He's not."

 *****can08writer*****

"We have patrols on all the roads, and Merle's been tracking in the woods but we haven't found him" Carol said softly. "We will though Rick, we won't stop looking."

Rick nodded and scratched his beard which had grown out substantially in the three days he'd been keeping vigil by Carl's bedside. Carol noticed the dark rings around his eyes and the musty smell coming off of him.

"Rick, you should take a shower and get some rest…"

"I'm fine" Rick interrupted, "thanks for the update. How's Judith?"

"She's fine Rick, just misses her daddy I'm sure."

"Can… can you bring her here? I want her here with me."

"Are you sure that's safe? After what happened with Carl? I mean if that's what you want sure, but who'll watch after her while you're with Carl?"

"Michonne will" Rick said confidently.

"Michonne?" Carol asked. "I mean, I know the two of you are friends now, but she was buddies with Negan..."

"Michonne will" Rick said again cutting her off, "thank you Carol" and with that he turned and reentered Carl's bedroom.

Michonne was still holding Carl's hand like she had been when Rick stepped out to talk to Carol, except now she was fast asleep. She was sitting in the chair closest to Carl, but leaning her upper body on Carl's bed with her head propped up on her crossed arms and her fingers curled around Carl's. Rick's heart swelled when he saw this woman's devotion to his son. She was doing what he knew Lori would do if she were still alive, as if Carl were her own child. He couldn't imagine how he could cope with this whole situation if he had to do it without her.

Wanting Michonne to get the rest that was evading him, Rick quietly lowered himself into an adjoining chair, but a small squeak from the chair had Michonne's eyes open in a millisecond. She startled, her eyes immediately locking on to Carl's face, checking to make sure he was still okay.

"He's still breathing" Rick said. "I have to hold on to that fact as long as I can."

Michonne slowly lifted her head from her arms and stretched her cricked neck.

"But I also have to prepare myself for the worst. I know it. I have to be ready for the fact that he might never wake up, or we run out of medical supplies before he does. I will fight as hard as I can to keep him alive, but if it comes down to it, if he's lying there starving, I'll have to prepare myself to end him. I won't let him suffer."

"I understand thinking about that" Michonne said, "you have to. But Denise said he may be awake at any time now without the coma medicine. He's alive Rick, he's healing. We just have to trust that he'll wake up when he's ready to. Denise said his blood pressure is improving so that's something. He's hanging in there."

Suddenly Michonne wrinkled her nose at the smell emanating from Rick.

"Rick, it's been three days, for the love of God change out of those dirty clothes and take a shower. There's a bathroom right down the hall. Carl isn't going anywhere."

"I…" Rick started, but seeing Michonne's look he ended his sentence. He stood, grabbed a pile of his clothes that Carol had brought from the factory, and headed to the bathroom.

Surprised that her words had worked on him so easily, Michonne sighed and leaned back into her chair.

Twenty minutes later Rick returned from the bathroom, fresh from the shower, with a tight brown t-shirt and water droplets dripping from his curls. Michonne couldn't help the thoughts that were involuntarily racing through her mind. He looked so sexy when he was wet.

Michonne inadvertently licked her lips at the sight of him, and those butterflies in her stomach (and other places) made their return with a vengeance.

"Any change?" Rick asked, so distracted by checking out Carl that he missed the hungry look in her eye.

"No" she said, "no change."

Rick sighed and plopped into his usual chair.

"How's Judith?" Michonne asked, knowing that Carol had given him an update on everyone back at the factory.

"She's doing okay. I asked Carol to bring her back here tomorrow, to stay with me."

"Okay" Michonne said, nodding her head. "there's a small room at my house with a crib from the former owners. She can sleep there. Unless you want her to sleep on the infirmary couch?" She asked, already planning ahead for Judith's arrival.

Rick looked at Michonne in awe of how much this woman had integrated herself into his family.

"Your house is fine" Rick said with a nod. "Thank you Michonne, thank you so much for everything. I can't even describe to you how thankful I am that we got to know you. You're just… wonderful."

Michonne smiled. "You're welcome. I'll clean that room out for Judith tonight, and tomorrow if there's no change in Carl, you and her are coming over for dinner."

Rick opened his mouth to protest but Michonne raised her hand to stop him.

"You can step away for a few hours Rick. You haven't been eating and you're getting thinner. Tomorrow dinner is at my house and you and Judith are coming."

Rick closed his mouth and submitted to Michonne's demand with a head nod.

***can08writer***

The next afternoon, Rick walked over to Michonne's house with Judith in his arms as Sasha and Carol sat with Carl. That morning, in desperation to get nutrients of any kind into Carl, Rosita, Denise, and Holly had created a watery applesauce mush and carefully forced it down Carl's throat. It was a dangerous process and there was a very real threat of him aspirating the food into his lungs, but they had succeeded. It was a small victory in a long list of victories they had to overcome.

The news that Carl now had some food in his belly was just enough incentive for Rick to be pried out of the hospital room by Michonne's invitation.

He climbed up the steps leading to her porch, raised his hand, and paused. All of a sudden he was feeling nervous. He knew this wasn't a date, it was just dinner, probably as simple as Michonne doing him a solid and getting him out of Carl's room for a few hours, but he still felt the same way he felt on his first few dates with Lori. He looked down at Judith who was contentedly picking her nose. "Here it goes sweetheart" he whispered.

As he internally debated whether he should knock or ring the doorbell, he heard a voice from inside call "Come on in!"

Rick turned the knob and let himself into Michonne's house. He could smell the aroma of something savory wafting through the air. Rick took in the dwelling's open floor plan. From the front door he could easily see the living room, dining room, and kitchen. The place was huge and well maintained. It was much better than the single room that he shared with Carl and Judith at the factory.

This was the type of house he and Lori wanted to have one day. Large, spacious, welcoming. Alexandria was the kind of neighborhood he and Lori would drive through, admiring the lawns and the calming vibe. They wanted Carl to have an idyllic childhood, full of warm family memories. They had always wanted other children, siblings for Carl, but it had never happened. Not until Judith at least. And well, even Judith's short life hadn't been idyllic at all.

Walking into a house that was almost like before, coming home to food cooking on the stove, holding his little girl in his arms, all of these things were making Rick think back to the life he used to have. He was so lost in the nostalgia of it all that he didn't even see Michonne in the kitchen, until she spun around to face him and the movement made him startle.

"Oh sorry, I didn't see you there" Rick said quickly, willing his heart to calm down. "This house, your house, it's very nice."

"Oh thank you" Michonne said, tucking a lock behind her ear. Rick noticed her hair was down and she wasn't wearing her usual headband.

"Your hair looks nice like that" Rick said, complimenting her before he realized what he was saying, "I mean it usually looks nice but it looks even nicer today. I mean I know all that's different is the headband but it makes your face look different without it. More open, y'know?" Rick rambled, realizing he sounded like a fool. If his hands weren't already full with Judith he would've slapped his forehead.

But for all his rambling, he was shocked when Michonne gave a shy smile.

"Thanks Rick" she said again, "and hello Judith" she cooed, gently stroking the girl's shoulder. Judith gave Michonne a smile.

"So dinner is just about ready. You two can sit at the table and I'll get the dishes" Michonne said.

"Do you need any help? I can carry something" Rick offered.

"Nope I got it. Just take a seat. Relax" Michonne ordered, raising an eyebrow before she turned back to the stove.

Rick carried Judith over to the dining room table, placed Judith on one of the chairs, and took a seat. A few moments later, Michonne came over carrying three plates and a casserole dish with wonderful smelling food.

"We didn't have any more meat left in the freezers, we're gonna have a hunting party go out tomorrow, so I made a vegetarian dish if you don't mind."

"Not at all" Rick said, and suddenly his stomach let out a low rumble. It was the first time all week that he actually felt hungry.

Michonne dished out the food and the three of them settled at the table. As Rick took a few bites he realized this was the best vegetable casserole he'd ever had. Actually, it was the only vegetable casserole he'd ever had.

"This tastes great" Rick said.

"Thank you, glad you like it. I'm also glad you're eating something" Michonne said.

A silence permeated between them for a little while. It was obvious someone was missing from this dinner, and as Rick's thoughts went to his son who was knocking on death's door, the mood turned a little dark.

Judith, who was eating with her hands, found a string bean in her casserole and carefully picked it out from the sauce. After studying it intensely she turned and held it out to Michonne.

A smile quickly made its way across Michonne's face.

"For me?" Michonne asked, surprised the girl remembered their little game.

Judith laughed in anticipation and shoved the green bean closer to Michonne's face. Michonne leaned over and pretended to eat Judith's hand. The girl screamed and burst into raucous laughter, and soon the entire table was laughing hysterically.

After dinner, Rick brought a sleepy Judith upstairs to the small child-sized bedroom that Michonne had cleared out for her, and put her to bed. Afterwards he made his way downstairs and joined Michonne who was relaxing with her feet propped up on the couch in the living room.

"Thank you for this. Thank you for… everything" Rick said softly. "This has been a lot. I know it. You didn't have to do any of what you're doing. You've been so kind to my family, to Carl, I can't ever repay you for what you've done."

"It's okay Rick. You're welcome."

Rick turned to Michonne and his cheeks turned red. "I can't believe a month ago I was considering if I should kill you or not."

Michonne snorted a little. "A month ago I was considering the same thing about you. And I know Carl certainly was too. That's just how things are now. And we both had good reason."

"How did you even meet him? Negan?" Rick asked. "How did you end up with someone like him?"

Michonne sighed and rubbed her hands on her jeans as they sat together on the couch.

"He saved my life. After Merle shot me. He found me, dying, and he helped me. He was all I had. I was all he had."

Rick's nose involuntarily scrunched up in a flash of anger. He knew he had no right to ask, Michonne certainly didn't owe him anything. But he wanted to know how deep their relationship had gone.

"I know it's none of my business, but were you two together?" Rick asked.

Michonne sighed and Rick quickly backpedaled.

"I'm sorry, forget it" he said.

Michonne looked straight ahead at the wall across from them.

"We weren't together. He loved me, and I didn't love him. I knew he liked me, but I didn't realize how deep it was until he came to the factory to come get me. I really thought it had been settled when he was brought back here. I'm sorry about what he did to Carl."

At the mention of Carl, all of Rick's anxiety that had built up over the past few days came back.

"I haven't been sleeping" Rick said. "I can't close my eyes without thinking about Carl. Every time I nod off I think Carl is gonna stop breathing. Like if I leave him for a moment I'll come back and he'll be gone. I know it probably won't happen, but I can't stop thinking it."

Michonne nodded as she listened to him speak, and when he was done she reached out and patted his hand that was resting on the couch next to him. Right when Michonne was pulling her hand away, Rick's fingers encircled her own and loosely clasped her hands.

Shocked, Michonne felt a heat travel up from their clasped hands and through her arm to the rest of her body.

Her eyes snapped to Rick's and he was already looking at her with uncertainty.

Michonne gave him a brief smile to reassure him and squeezed his fingers a little more tightly. He quickly returned her smile, and the two of them continued to sit on the couch in silence with their feet propped up on the end table, enjoying the feeling of their entwined fingers and the warm glow of the oil lamp in front of them.

After a few minutes of being lost in her own world, Michonne turned her head to look at Rick. His head was cocked to the side and he was fast asleep, his fingers still curled around her own.

Michonne looked at him for a few moments, enjoying his peaceful expression. She was glad he was finally getting much needed sleep.

As slowly and quietly as she could, she untangled their fingers and stood. She creeped to the guest bedroom and grabbed two blankets off her bed. She draped one over a still sleeping Rick, and she sat back on the couch next to him, burying herself underneath another. She then clicked off the lamp and within a few minutes she too had drifted off to sleep next to him, both sitting upright on the couch in the silent house.

 *****can08writer*****

The next day, Michonne was sitting next to Carl, holding his hand while Rick made a brief trip to the bathroom.

"You missed dinner last night" she said to him softly while stroking his fingers. "It wasn't the same without you. Nothing is the same without you Carl. I just want to tell you that I'm so glad I met you. I'm so glad I've gotten to know you. You helped me open my heart because it's been closed a long time. You're my friend. My best friend. And I miss talking to you, and reading with you. I miss your smile, and the fun we had together. I need you to wake up. If you can, if you can hear me, I need you to wake up now Carl. We need you."

Michonne gazed at Carl's still, expressionless face. She knew it was a long shot. The fact that he hadn't woken up yet after so many days wasn't good. Michonne knew it, but she wouldn't give up on him until she had to.

Seconds later Rick returned to the room.

"Any change?" he asked, already expecting Michonne's answer.

Just as Michonne was about to say no, she felt movement on her hand that was holding Carl's. It was so small and fleeting she thought her own hand had twitched involuntarily, and she looked down at their intertwined fingers. Carl's pointer finger twitched again against Michonne's hand.

"He… he moved!" Michonne said, holding up Carl's hand to show Rick", he just moved!"

Rick dashed to the hand that Michonne was holding to see for himself. Sure enough, Carl's finger was twitching in jerky movements.

"Carl!" Rick called, taking Carl's hand from Michonne and leaning into Carl's face as closely as he could get.

"Carl it's dad. Can you hear me? Are you there?"

Simultaneously Michonne called Denise. "Come quick! He's moving his fingers! I think he's waking up!"

"Carl!" Rick called again. "If you can hear me squeeze my hand, c'mon son, I'm right here" Rick said, willing Carl to give some sign that he understood what they were saying.

Carl's finger twitched again.

Denise entered the room and squeezed her way past an almost hysterical Rick and Michonne.

"He's twitching, I think he can hear us" Rick said, "Carl, come on son, do it again."

Carl's fingers were still, and then suddenly one jumped upwards.

"See?" Rick said pointing.

Denise leaned over Carl and gently pulled his eyelid back. He was staring straight ahead, but when she moved her finger in front of his eye she noticed that he did track it slowly.

"Hey Carl" Denise said, "can you try to move your toes for me? Even if you can only move one."

Michonne pulled the sheets off of Carl's toes so that they could see any movement he gave. They waited for a few seconds with no response.

"Carl?" Rick asked, "Carl you still with us?"

There was no further response. Denise opened Carl's eye again and this time he was no longer tracking her fingers. He was unconscious.

"Sometimes people in a coma twitch, I'm guarded about being too optimistic, but he did follow my finger which is a good sign" Denise said. "I don't know for sure, I'm not a neurologist, but he just might be coming out of the coma slowly. We just need to give him more time. Getting some more food in him is the best thing we can do for him now."

Denise turned around and was surprised to see Rick beaming down at Carl.

"He knew I was here, he listened. He's gonna be okay. He'll be okay. I know it."


	12. Chapter 12

Rick was sitting in the chair that had become his home for the past few days watching Carl sleep, while Judith took a nap in his lap. As he sat there, he couldn't help but think about Lori, and what she'd say about Carl being shot for a second time and losing his eye.

He twirled his wedding band around his finger as he thought about the words she said to him when she'd realized she was pregnant with Judith. " _We can't protect the child we already have"._

Rick had thought she was wrong at the time. He had vowed to do anything he had to to protect Carl and Judith, but that wasn't enough. And then, as if he were in the room, he heard Shane's voice in his head. " _I'm a better father than you Rick… I'm a better man than you Rick 'cuz I'll be here and fight for 'em. You come back here and you just destroy everything!"_

Maybe if he'd never woken up in that hospital in the beginning Carl would never have been shot, the first time or the second. Maybe Shane was right. Maybe he could've kept them safe like he said. If Shane was here would Carl have been shot? Would Judith had been shot?

Shane would've killed all the prisoners at the prison immediately. If Rick hadn't killed Shane, maybe Lori would've had Hershel's help delivering the baby. Maybe Lori would still be alive. Rick would be dead, but everyone else might've been better off without him being alive. Rick's thoughts suddenly got darker. Maybe everyone would be better off without him now.

Rick looked down at the little girl sleeping on his chest. His daughter. _Shane's_ daughter. Rick knew from the moment Lori said she was pregnant that it was Shane's. And now that he'd killed the girl's real father he felt a double responsibility to keep her safe.

Rick gazed upon Carl's face, still half hidden by the bandages. He'd felt hope when Carl moved his finger, but the dark part of his mind kept reminding him that nothing was guaranteed. Carl could still die. It could've been an involuntary twitch like Denise had warned. He could be so brain damaged that he'd never be fully conscious again.

The room's door creaking open caused Rick to jump. Michonne apologized when she realized she'd scared Rick.

"Sorry, I knocked. Is there any change with Carl? If you want I can bring Judith back home and get her to bed now" Michonne said. When she saw the serious look on Rick's face she paused immediately.

"You okay?" she asked slowly, noticing that he was twirling his wedding band again.

His eyes snapped up to hers and he nodded. "Yea. Yea just thinking."

"You wanna talk about it?" she asked, sitting down in her usual chair next to him.

Lori used to demand that he talk, beg him to talk. But no one had asked him if he _wanted_ to talk in such a long time. And although the answer was usually no, right now surprisingly the answer was yes.

"Yea, yea if you don't mind."

Michonne nodded and rested her elbows on her knees, patiently waiting for him to continue.

"I uh, I was thinking about a friend of mine. His name was Shane."

Michonne nodded and listened patiently.

"He was my best friend. My partner. The two of us were Sheriffs Deputies. I knew him since high school. He was there the first time I got shot. I just remember him telling me it would be alright. That was the last thing I lucidly remember before I woke up in a hospital. I was in a coma when this… virus… started. I woke up in the middle of it."

Michonne listened with eyes wide.

"I woke up and everything had been turned upside down. I found Carl and Shane and my wife Lori, but everything had been turned upside down with them too."

Rick closed his eyes and slowly shook his head with Judith gently nuzzling his chest in her sleep.

"My family thought I was dead."

Rick looked at Carl briefly, checking to see if he was still sleeping deeply. Carl's chest continued to rise and fall in its same pattern, and satisfied, Rick turned to Michonne. When he spoke to her, he lowered his voice to a whisper.

"When I found my family, Lori had been… she was sleeping with my best friend."

Michonne's eyes popped open. She didn't expect him to say that.

"I understood, I did. She wanted to feel somethin'. Anything. I thought I could forgive her, move past it. But she got pregnant with Judith…"

Michonne's eyes dropped to the tiny girl sleeping on Rick's chest, and then back to Rick, and he didn't have to say anything more. She knew.

"I love her. She's my daughter. But she isn't mine. I had to accept that. Lori died giving birth to her, and Shane…"

Rick looked at Carl again to try and stop the tears that were beginning to make their presence known in his eyes.

"He wanted me dead. He thought he could protect my family better than I could. He was gonna kill me to prove it. I… I had to… I had to kill him. And when he reanimated, Carl put him down."

Rick closed his eyes.

"Shane was Carl's best friend. He never talked to me about it. I wasn't the best father, I never asked him about it. But I know it hurt him. I know he loved Shane. I did too. And now, after all the shit my kids have gone through, I wonder if Shane was right. If he would've done a better job protecting them."

Rick opened his eyes and looked at Carl again. Michonne could tell Rick hadn't talked about any of these things to anyone else. He seemed to be avoiding her eyes as if she would judge him, but she could tell he was afraid of what she'd say. She took a deep breath and began to speak.

"My son was three. He was eaten by walkers while I was on a run. His father was high at the time. I came back to our camp and I found my son…" Michonne stopped talking when her voice broke.

Rick tore his eyes away from Carl just in time to see Michonne's shoulders droop and her face contort before she wept openly. And in that moment Rick could see her fully. He could see the grieving mother who had lost her child and her reason to live. And he was in awe of her strength. For her to sit here and comfort him and take care of his children while she was without her own. For her to see him crying over a child that was alive, while hers was dead. He knew in that moment that he loved her. He had fallen in love with her. It wasn't just infatuation, it wasn't just admiration. It was love.

Rick reached out his right hand and rested it against Michonne's cheek. Slowly she looked up at him, the pain in her face radiating from her eyes. Gently, Rick took his thumb and wiped her tears from her cheek. More ran down to replace the ones he removed, but he continued to wipe them. Michonne reached up and wrapped her fingers around the hand that was resting against her cheek, and intertwined them with Rick's fingers until they were holding hands. She sniffled again, but continued her story.

"I found my son lying in front of our tent. He… he was eaten. Most of him was. And… as I sat there, screaming, he… began to twitch. He was turning. I put him down. That thing that was coming back, that wasn't my baby. That wasn't Andre."

Michonne grasped Rick's hand more tightly. "I've never told anyone that. I've been holding on to it. Making myself suffer because I thought I deserved it. That's what you're doing too, thinking about Shane. You can't change what happened. It happened. I think you… we… have to go forward and leave the past behind. We have to let it go."

"How?" Rick asked, slowly stroking Michonne's hand with his thumb.

"We just live. The people who died are dead. The people who are alive are alive. We can't change that. We just have to live with it."

Rick nodded and looked into Michonne's eyes.

"I'm sorry about Andre" he said.

Michonne bit her lip as it trembled again, tears threatening to fall.

"I am too" she said.

 *****can08writer*****

Michonne was walking down the street towards her home carrying her box of rations for the week. She had convinced Olivia to give her more, since Rick and Judith had unofficially moved into her house, and since Carl wouldn't be able to travel back to the factory any time soon she figured she now had three people living with her indefinitely.

There were a group of people from The Family who were loitering around the infirmary. They would come and go, giving Rick updates about what was happening at the Factory and with Hilltop. Michonne heard that Rick had been supplying Hilltop with food since they'd lost their crops to a weevil plague, and although Alexandria barely had extras, she'd asked Olivia to donate a car full of non-perishables they'd found as well.

Merle had gone out searching every day and still hadn't found Negan, not that Michonne expected him to. Negan was exceptionally good at not being found if he didn't want to be. That was how he'd been alone for so long before she'd met him.

Michonne hadn't forgiven Negan for the pain and suffering he'd inflicted on Carl and tried to inflict on Rick. Releasing him was a final act of kindness she'd bestowed on him, but if he showed up again she'd be behind Rick on whatever he chose to do. But, she had to admit she was conflicted about what she wanted to happen. When she was in her home alone, or when Judith was sleeping upstairs while Rick slept in the infirmary with Carl, Michonne could admit to herself that she missed the impulsive hothead. Negan did have his charm, and he really did care about her. But if Negan had succeeded in killing Rick, or killing Carl, she couldn't defend him. She wouldn't.

When Michonne was a few houses away from her own, she saw Carol approaching her. Unsure if Carol was walking to her or past her, Michonne gave her a small nod, but Carol stopped in front of her and Michonne did the same.

"We still haven't found Negan" Carol declared. Michonne just stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "Merle said he saw some footprints near that town you, he and Sasha went to, right after Carl got shot. But eventually the trail went cold."

Michonne nodded her head slightly, not knowing what Carol was trying to get at.

"Sasha and Merle told me that you came out searching with them the day Carl got shot, but after that you stayed here. Almost like you knew they wouldn't find him."

Michonne's eyes narrowed, and she tilted her head to the right, squinting at Carol. "I don't have time to guess what it is you're trying to imply, so if you have something to say to me, say it" Michonne said, her voice portraying her annoyance.

"I've known Rick for a long time" Carol began, "and I know when it comes to tragedies with his family he has a reputation for losing it. But he didn't, not completely this time, and I know that has to do with you. I know you're a good influence on Rick, but if Negan comes back and hurts Rick because of something you did, I'll take you out."

Michonne slowly took a step towards Carol so that they were only a few inches apart.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, and I wouldn't do anything to hurt Rick" Michonne said, her voice dangerously low. "And just so we're clear, you could _try_ coming for me, but I don't think you want that."

Carol and Michonne stared into each others eyes. Before Carol had a chance to say anything further, Michonne turned, walked up her front steps, and slammed her front door behind her.

Michonne was livid, as well as shaken, by her confrontation with Carol. Although the woman was correct about her accusation that something had gone down between Michonne and Negan, Michonne didn't appreciate the woman underhandedly accusing and threatening her.

She thought she'd already proven her good intentions to The Family, but seemingly at least one of them was still unsure. Carol seemed like the type to hint her suspicions to Rick, and Rick was the only person whose opinion of her she cared about.

She decided she had one last confession to make to Rick. Michonne didn't technically lie to him, but she didn't tell him that she'd seen Negan and let him go. If she was going to have a true relationship with him (friendship or otherwise) she didn't want to have any secrets between them.

 *****can08writer*****

"Hey son. I know you're in there Carl. I need you to keep fighting. I know it's hard, maybe you wanna give up, maybe you're tired, but you still gotta fight through this. There's so much more for you. You just started living and there's so much from life you haven't experienced yet. Things like getting a place that's all your own and moving away from your old man, finding your own way in this world and doing what you can to make a life for yourself, finding a girl, and love, and maybe even kids…"

Rick smiled and ran his palm down Carl's cheek. "You have your whole life ahead of you. I want you to live in a community where everybody wins. Where we don't have to dominate others around us to stay safe. You showed me that _that_ is the way for us to survive. That's the way for us to have a real future, and you're going to be part of it. I brought you to Alexandria with me so you can see the first steps towards that future. I never expected that you'd get hurt."

Rick shook his head and a tear tumbled down his cheek. "I never expected that I'd be talking to you like this. Maybe I was wrong to bring you here. It wasn't safe. I should've left you back at the factory."

Carl didn't stir as Rick stared at his son's bruised and swollen face, and the bandage that covered the right side of his head. Carl's stillness and silence unnerved Rick. If he didn't see the small rise and fall of Carl's chest he'd think the boy was dead.

To fill the silence, Rick continued to talk to Carl about the many things swirling around in his head.

"You were right about Michonne" Rick admitted. "You were right that we could trust her, that she was alright. She's been great Carl, she's helped me so much. I don't think I'd be able to deal with all of this without her. I know she's your best friend, but she's mine too. It's strange, but I feel closer to her than I do to Maggie, and Carol, and Merle, and all the others that we've known for so long."

A small noise from Carl made Rick's heart skip a beat. Carl took a deep inhale.

"Carl?" Rick asked loudly, putting his face inches from the boy's. Carl's finger twitched slightly, and then completely curled around Rick's hand.

Rick burst into tears and rained kisses down on Carl's hand.

"Carl? Carl?!" he said again, "hey son, hey it's dad. I'm right here, can you hear me? If you can hear me, squeeze my hand."

Carl gave Rick's hand a hard squeeze.

"Denise!" Rick called loudly. He then looked back to Carl.

"Oh Carl, I'm so glad you can hear me. It's okay, everything is okay, alright? Can you open your eye? One squeeze for yes, two squeezes for no."

There was a pause and then Carl squeezed Rick's hand twice.

A smile slid across Rick's face that Carl was even communicating with him. "It's okay, don't try then."

Carl opened his mouth slightly and tried to make a sound but it sounded like a garbled moan.

"Don't talk" Rick said, reaching over to a glass of water with a straw that was on the side of his table and quickly putting it to Carl's lips. Carl took a small sip from the straw, but afterwards he was breathing heavily, almost out of breath.

"It's okay, just relax Carl, you've been out for a while, almost a week, so your body is really fragile right now. Don't try to move okay?". Rick kissed Carl's cheek and ran his hand through Carl's messy hair.

Denise entered the room and Rick explained that Carl was squeezing his hand on command.

"Hi Carl, I'm glad that you're with us. I'm Doctor Denise, I've been taking care of you since you've been here. I'm going to ask you a few questions and if you want to say yes you squeeze your dad's hand once, and if you want to say no you squeeze your dad's hand twice, okay?"

Carl gave Rick's hand one squeeze, and Rick beamed proudly.

"Are you in pain right now?" Denise asked. Carl squeezed yes and Rick's smile quickly dissipated.

"Okay" Denise said, "I'm going to give you something for the pain in a minute. Do you remember what happened to you?"

Carl gave two squeezes for no.

"You were shot in the face" Rick said. "We're in Alexandria right now, we've been here for a week waiting for you to wake up. Everyone is okay, we were all just worried about you."

"Can you move your toes?" Denise asked Carl, trying to assess how bad the damage was.

Carl didn't answer for a few seconds. Rick reached down and pulled up the sheets so that Carl's feet weren't covered.

"Carl?" Denise asked again. When there was no response Rick felt the blood drain from his face. He realized that Carl could be hurt worse than they thought. What if he was paralyzed? What if he couldn't walk anymore?

Rick was about to call Carl again, when his big toe twitched, and then he pointed his toe. The action was repeated on his other foot.

Rick let out a sigh and more tears tumbled down his cheeks. "Good job Carl" he encouraged, "you did great."

"Carl I know it's a little difficult for you to open your eye right now, so I'm going to open your eye for you and do a quick vision test, okay?"

Denise leaned over and gently pulled up Carl's remaining eyelid. His bright blue eye immediately focused on her.

"Hey, there you go" Denise said. "Can you follow my finger?"

Denise slowly moved her finger across Carl's eye and he easily tracked it.

Rick smiled and patted his son's hand. Denise let go of Carl's eyelid, and it gently closed.

"Are you hungry?" Denise asked Carl, "thirsty?"

Carl squeezed Rick's hand twice for no.

"Are you tired?" Denise asked Carl.

Carl squeezed once for yes.

"Okay, I know trying to move is taking a lot out of you. I'm going to give you some medicine for the pain and then I'll let you go back to sleep, okay Carl?"

Carl squeezed once for yes.

While Denise busied herself injecting pain medicine into one of Carl's last remaining bags of IV fluid, Rick leaned in closer to his son.

"You did great Carl, you're going to be okay. I'm so proud of you. I know you're tired, it's okay if you go back to sleep now. I'll be right here when you wake up son."

Rick kissed Carl's cheek, and Carl gave Rick's hand one last squeeze. Within seconds the boy was sleeping again.

Rick couldn't hide the pure joy he felt at seeing that Carl was responding. He hadn't spoken, but he was at least aware of his surroundings, and that was something. That was everything.

 *****can08writer*****

"He woke up today" Rick said with a huge smile on his face, the moment Michonne entered the room.

"What?" Michonne asked.

"He woke up, squeezed my hand for yes or no, he moved his feet, and he answered questions. I mean, he didn't talk and he couldn't open his eyes, but he knew what was going on. He was here, lucid."

Michonne smiled and grabbed Carl's hand.

"He's sleeping now" Rick said. "Been sleeping for an hour or so. He said he was in pain so Denise gave him some of the painkillers and they knocked him right out."

Michonne shook her head with a radiant smile. "Oh my God. That's great Rick. That's… that's amazing."

"I knew he could do it" Rick said. "We're not out of the woods yet by far, we have to get him to eat and drink the next time he wakes up, but he's back."

Michonne looked down at Judith who was sitting in Rick's lap shaking an old teddy bear Michonne had found in the child's bedroom in her house. The girl looked at Michonne with her bright brown eyes, and held up her arms for Michonne to pick her up.

"Hi Judith" Michonne said as she picked the girl up and held her against her body. Michonne placed a kiss on her cheek. Since Judith had moved in and begun sleeping at Michonne's house the bond between the two had grown, and Judith loved for Michonne to pick her up whenever the two were around each other.

"Did Denise say how long he'll be sleeping?" Michonne asked.

"No, she's not sure. She thinks there's still heavy swelling in his brain, and definitely on his face. She said we won't know the extent of the damage until he's fully awake, walking, and talking."

"So she thinks there may be more damage than it seems?" Michonne asked, concerned.

"I don't know. She doesn't know. She said this is a wait and see kinda thing" Rick said with a sigh.

Michonne nodded and held Judith closer to her. She had to talk to Rick about what happened with Negan and she didn't know how he was going to react. She figured holding Judith in her arms may help him contain his anger.

"Rick there's something I need to tell you" Michonne said softly.

Rick looked at Carl and then turned to Michonne nodding his head for her to continue.

"After Carl got shot, and I went out with Sasha and Merle to look for Negan, I found him" Michonne said, getting to the point. "I saw him, and I spoke to him. He told me he didn't mean to shoot Carl. It was an accident. He was aiming for… well, he was aiming for you."

"What?" Rick asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I could've brought him in, but I didn't. I could see he was sorry about what he did to Carl. I told him to go away and to never come back. I told him if he came back here and you wanted to kill him I wouldn't interfere. So he left, and that was the last I've heard of him."

"You let him go?" Rick asked, his voice raising.

"Yes" Michonne admitted.

"Why? Why did you do that Michonne? He tried to kill me. He shot Carl!"

"I know" Michonne said calmly. "I know he did, and there's no excuse for it, but I felt like I owed him that one last thing for what he did for me. Maybe I was being selfish, I probably was. I certainly wasn't trying to put you and Carl into any more danger, but that was what I decided. And I did it."

Rick stared at Michonne for a few moments in shock. He studied this woman who had bonded with his son, cared for him and his daughter through this whole ordeal, and who had earned his trust and his love. He couldn't believe she'd make a decision like that for him.

"I thought I could trust you" Rick said, somewhat in shock.

"You can" Michonne said taking a step forward. "You can trust me. The fact that I'm telling you this right now is proof that you can trust me."

"Give me my daughter" Rick snapped, reaching for Judith.

Michonne felt a stab through her heart at the mistrust in Rick's eyes. She slowly gave Judith to her father, but the girl had other plans, reaching out to Michonne and struggling in Rick's arms.

"Rick" Michonne said, her hurt showing in her eyes that were welling up with tears. "I didn't… I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You let the man that shot my son go free. You showed more loyalty to him than to me or Carl. You chose your side."

Michonne felt like he had stabbed her in the chest. After all the things they'd done and shared with each other to build a level of trust, one confession had brought it crashing down.

With Judith still crying and whining, Rick returned to the chair facing his son, his back to Michonne.

"Rick I'm sorry" Michonne whispered, and although he heard her he didn't respond.

Michonne bit her lip and nodded. She then quietly slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

 _ **Authors note:**_ _Okay first of all, I did not plan for this story to go like this at all. It was supposed to be completely different and it scarily took on a life of its own. Right now I'm just hanging on for dear life just seeing where it's going to lead me. I have so many "deleted scenes" that I wrote out and then completely scrapped because I was just being pulled in the opposite direction, and it's the most bizarre thing ever because I've never written a story that changes in plot so drastically before. But I hope you're enjoying this wild ride and I'm interested to see how it ends just like I'm sure you are. Thanks everyone for your readership and I absolutely love every single person who has written a review. Your feedback is highly valued by me, even if all you can write is a sentence I appreciate it greatly. Thank you!_


	13. Chapter 13

Michonne attempted to give Rick his space. She understood that he was hurt and angry about what she'd done, but his anger wouldn't stop her from checking on Carl.

The next morning she entered the infirmary and waved to Denise. She placed two covered plates on a table in the kitchen, and when she walked through the waiting room she spotted Judith sleeping on the couch.

Michonne knocked on Carl's room door twice, and Rick who didn't know who it was, said to come in. When he saw it was her, he quickly diverted his eyes and said nothing.

Ignoring Rick's silent treatment, Michonne walked over to Carl and ran her hand through his hair softly, not trying to wake him up. She stared at him for a while, noticing that his color was a little less pale than it was the day before, but he still had bandages all over his face.

After a few minutes of silence Michonne said, "I brought breakfast for you and Judith. It's on the table outside."

Rick didn't respond to her, and twiddled his thumbs.

"And Judith shouldn't be sleeping on that couch when she has a room with a perfectly good bed at my house," Michonne continued.

"You don't know what's best for my children," Rick snapped. His words found their intended target, but Michonne kept calm and took a breath.

"I will be back in a few hours. If Carl wakes up and asks for me, tell him I'll be back soon."

Rick stayed quiet, so Michonne kissed Carl on the forehead and stalked out of the room, being sure to close the door gently behind her.

Michonne had dealt with the silent treatment before. It was Mike's number one way to punish her after she did or said something that made him upset. She had thought it was childish and not the way an adult man should handle his problems, but she'd learned to ignore him back, and go about her business.

But with Rick it was different. She was different. She didn't survive what she'd survived to deal with foolishness like the silent treatment.

She understood Rick's anger at the revelation that she let Negan go. She couldn't deny that if she were him she'd feel the same way. But she couldn't do anything about that decision now. Negan was gone, and she was here, trying to heal what Negan had broken.

She sighed as she walked through the streets of Alexandria. She wasn't going to do this with Rick. Not after the level of understanding they'd earned. Not with the level of vulnerability she'd shown. She was done taking breaks, and she would make sure Rick was too.

 *****can08writer*****

Rick fed Judith one of the plates of pancakes that Michonne had made for them that morning, as Rick devoured the other. The food was amazing and warm, and he was truly grateful for what she'd done for them. And guilty about how he'd treated her.

He was still angry about what she'd done. Letting Negan go put him and Carl in danger, as well as took away his chance at revenge. Letting Negan go put Negan's safety over his sense of justice. But he understood her viewpoint, and he understood what it was like to feel like you owed someone. It was the same reason he turned a blind eye when Shane tried to kill him twice.

And although he was angry at her, he knew Michonne didn't deserve this treatment. She had told the truth, better late than never.

He knew not speaking to her was a dumb way to deal with the situation, and he resigned himself to talk to her when she came back to check on Carl.

After eating, Rick made his way back into Carl's room and was shocked that Carl's left eye was open and looking back at him.

"Carl?" Rick asked, pressing his face close to his son.

Carl didn't speak but he tried to move his hand. Rick quickly grasped it and planted a kiss on the back of Carl's hand.

"Hey son" he said, "good to see you awake."

Carl's eye looked towards the table which held a glass of water with a straw.

"Thirsty?" Rick asked, and he quickly grabbed the glass and straw and held it to Carl's mouth.

Carl took one sip, then another, his dry mouth screaming for water.

"Hold on, slow down Carl, take small sips," Rick coached. He got Carl to slow down the rate in which he drank, but Rick could tell the boy was thirsty.

"Denise, he's awake!" Rick called, "bring us more water."

"Coming!" Denise, who was babysitting Judith at the moment, called from the next room.

When Carl finished the glass, he fell back into his pillow, his eye searching the room.

"How are you feeling?" Rick asked.

"Hearts" Carl said softly.

"What?" Rick asked, confused about what Carl just said.

"Hit hearts" Carl said, his hand rising to his bandage.

Rick grabbed his son's arm and slowly brought it down to his side. "Don't… don't touch it Carl" Rick said.

"Bitch" Carl said, reaching for his eye again.

"What?!" Rick yelled, taken off guard.

"Bitches" Carl responded.

"Denise! Get in here now!" Rick demanded, holding on to Carl's hand to stop him from scratching the wound.

"Carl you're not making any sense" Rick said, "I don't know what you're saying."

Carl tried pulling his hands out of Rick's to get to the bandage. "Oh God, hearts, bitch dad."

It seemed like Carl was trying to communicate. He thought he was communicating, but Rick had no idea what he was saying.

Denise ran in with a glass of water in one hand and Judith in another. She thrust Judith into Rick's arms and took up the task of keeping Carl's hands away from his bandage.

"Hey Carl, it's doctor Denise. You have to stay still okay? You can't touch the bandage on your face."

"Fire" Carl said, his face contorting while he reached upwards again.

"Fire?" Denise asked.

Carl let out a frustrated groan. "Murns", he tried again.

Denise's eyes got wide.

"It burns?" she asked.

Carl nodded and looked at both of them like they were stupid. "Murns, bitches, hearts."

"What's wrong with him?" Rick asked Denise.

"Carl, are you in pain?" Denise asked.

Carl gave a frustrated sigh and nodded.

"Why can't he talk?" Rick asked Denise.

"I… I don't know" Denise said, taking the blood pressure strap and wrapping it around Carl's arm.

Judith stared at Carl curiously and pointed at him. She then flapped her arms in excitement seeing her brother finally awake after so long.

Carl smiled, temporarily forgetting about the bandage on his face and whatever Denise was doing. "Hey Judy, mist tool."

Rick's brow narrowed in concern.

"Denise, what the hell is going on?" Rick asked.

"His blood pressure is good. I don't think he's having a stroke." Denise leaned over Carl to look in his remaining eye.

"Carl" Denise said, getting his attention. Carl moved his eye and looked up at her. "Do you understand what I'm saying to you right now?"

"Yea" Carl said.

"I know you're still hurting, but I need you to repeat after me, okay?"

Carl nodded.

"My name is Carl."

Carl stared at Denise for a moment as if he thought she were crazy. He looked at his father for confirmation, and Rick nodded nervously to encourage him to do it.

"Mars nose is Carl" he said, almost rolling his eye at the ridiculousness of the request.

Denise and Rick exchanged concerned glances.

"What?" Carl asked.

"C-Carl, you're not saying what you think you're saying" Rick said. "The words are not coming out of your mouth right."

Carl frowned. "What do loo moon?"

Rick leaned in closer. "Carl say that again, more slowly this time."

"What. Do. You. Moon?" Carl asked.

"Carl honey, you just said 'what do you moon'" Denise explained.

Carl looked shocked. He tried again. "What. Do. You. Moan."

"Mean" Rick said.

"Main" Carl repeated.

"Not quite, son. Mean," Rick said again.

"Mmm... mean" Carl tried again.

"There you go, that's it," Rick encouraged. He turned to look at Denise, "tell me what's happening."

"I'm… I'm not sure" she said. "It sounds like the results of a brain injury. His eye socket and parts of his skull were shattered, I tried my best to clean up the fragments during surgery, but it's possible there was damage to his brain. There's definitely swelling and irritation. It seems to be damaging his ability to speak, but not his ability to understand."

Carl let out a moan, and pointed to his eye socket. "Hearts and bitches bad."

"I think he means it hurts and itches" Denise said, making her way into a cabinet and pulling out some pills. "I only have a small supply of painkillers left, not nearly enough for what he'll need until he recovers. I'll have to give these to him sparingly."

Carl groaned again and reached for his bandage. Rick grabbed his hand and rubbed it gently. "It's alright Carl, we're getting something for the pain right now, okay. You can't touch those bandages or it'll hurt more."

Carl put his hand down, but the side of his face not covered in gauze was furrowed showing his obvious discomfort.

"Maybe Hilltop has more. Maybe they have strong painkillers. I'll have someone go ask," Rick said. "We'll find something to make you feel better, okay?"

Carl looked at his father and then Judith who was nestled in his arms. His undamaged eye searched the room again. Carl's brow furrowed, and Rick could tell he was putting all of his concentration into the next thing he said.

"Where's... Mich… onne?" Carl asked.

 *****can08writer*****

Michonne approached the infirmary for the second time that day. She was set that she wasn't going to let Rick ignore her any further, so she was shocked when he met her at the door. Her heart dropped.

"Is Carl okay?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"He's okay" Rick assured. "He's awake, actually. I was with him for a few hours, Denise is changing his bandage and I saw you coming so… I um… I thought it'd be a good time to talk to you."

Michonne swallowed, suddenly nervous. "Okay" she said.

Rick sighed and crossed his arms.

"He started talking..." Rick said.

"That's great!" Michonne interrupted, "that's so…"

"Something's wrong" Rick said, "The bullet injured his brain somehow. He can understand, but its hard for him to say sentences that make sense. He can't find the right words."

"What?" Michonne asked.

"Denise thinks he has brain damage. We don't know if its permanent or not yet."

Michonne placed her hand over her mouth. "Oh my God."

"I don't know what to do" Rick said, shaking his head. "There's nothing I can do. But I know what he needs. He needs you. Especially now. He needs his best friend. I'm still angry about what you did. How could I not be? But it doesn't matter. What matters is Carl."

"Rick I… I said it already, but I didn't mean to hurt you. I thought I was… I thought it was the only way to pay Negan back for his kindness towards me, and end the conflict between you two. With all of what's happening with Carl I'm wondering if I made the right decision. But either way, I'm here. I want to be here for you, and Carl, and Judith. To be honest, you're the only people I have left" she said with a shrug, and Rick could see the moisture starting in her eyes. "I shared things with you I haven't shared with anyone. Not even Negan. Please don't push me away again."

"Maybe I overreacted, maybe not, but I need you too. I realized that as soon as I pushed you away." Rick smiled and shook his head. "When Carl woke up and you weren't there, he asked where you were. I didn't know what to tell him. I was ashamed of what I said to you. You don't deserve that."

Michonne nodded, smiled, and playfully bumped her shoulder into Rick's. "Let's go see him."

 **Two Months later**

"Okay, repeat after me" Michonne said, leaning towards Carl at the dining room table, "Judith is my sister."

Carl sighed and fidgeted in his chair. He looked at Michonne with a look that said ' _do I have to?'_

"C'mon" Michonne encouraged, "Denise said your Aphasia may be temporary. The more you work on your words, the better you'll get."

"Judith is my sass... siss…" Carl stopped in the middle of the word sister and sighed.

"Look at my lips" Michonne said, "sis-ter."

"Sis-ter" Carl repeated.

"Good, now try it again."

"Judith is my sister" Carl said perfectly.

"See?" Michonne said, giving Carl a toothy grin, "no big deal."

"But I sh… shound… sound stupid" Carl said.

"Says who?" Michonne asked.

"I do. And I look like a m… mon-ster."

Michonne's chest tightened at Carl's words. It had been hard for him the past few weeks. Not only was he recovering from a brain injury, but he had a physical injury as well. He had lost ten pounds from his coma, and was very weak. The first few days he'd needed help walking, feeding himself, and using the bathroom. He was in constant pain from his missing eye and horrible headaches, and slept the majority of the time.

Rick had sent Carol and Sasha to the Hilltop for pain pills, and to his relief they came back with 3 bottles full. They had told him the people at Hilltop were happy to help, and wanted to thank Rick as well as Alexandria for the food they'd given them. It had kept them alive, and they were just beginning to replant their damaged crops.

The first time Carl saw his own face in the mirror he'd thrown up. He'd cried and asked Rick why he hadn't let him just die. He was depressed for a few weeks, and at one point refused to eat.

Rick had dealt with Carl's unpredictable mood swings, and had taken the brunt of Carl's anger. Michonne looked on sadly as Carl screamed at, ignored, blamed and pulled away from Rick. Rick understood that Carl wasn't really angry at him, but he felt the rejection anyway.

Denise had told Rick and Michonne that the mood swings were a result of the brain injury, frustration at his limited ability to communicate, his huge lifestyle change, and being a teenager with a life altering face injury. She was the one that had suggested speech therapy to help Carl communicate his feelings better.

Rick and Michonne had both had sessions with Carl, having him practice and repeat common phrases to train his brain into accessing those words again, but after a few days they'd found the only one who was actually making progress with Carl was Michonne.

Michonne placed her hand on Carl's, and leaned towards him.

"Look at me" she said.

Carl refused, staring at the wall behind her head.

"Carl Elliot Grimes, if you don't look me in the eyes…" Michonne threatened, using Carl's full name to show she was serious.

A smile burst across Carl's face. "I never should've told you my middle name," he said.

"Yea, well, you did" Michonne said, "Now look at me."

Carl focused his eye on Michonne.

"You are not a monster. You don't look like a monster. You don't act like a monster. You are the bravest boy I know. No one has been through what you've been through. No one knows what you're feeling, and everything that you're feeling is valid, but one thing I know is that you are good, and kind, and strong, and one day _this_ will be the past. And you'll realize how far you've come… _and_ you'll have a badass story to tell about that eye."

Carl lifted his chin slightly at Michonne. "You think my… eye… sto-ry is badass?" he asked.

"Uh… yea! Shot in the eye and lived to tell the story. You're just as much a survivor as your dad."

"Judith true… too."

"Yes, Judith too" Michonne confirmed.

Carl reached up and adjusted his dad's sheriff's hat slightly, which was still too large for him.

"I g-get angry with dad sun… some-times, but I don't…" Carl paused, suddenly searching for the words to express himself.

"Mean it?" Michonne asked.

"Mean it" Carl repeated, nodding his head. "I can't stop it. Tell… tell dad I don't m-mean it?"

"He knows that Carl," Michonne said, "but I think it would help if you told him that yourself."

"Mich-onne?" Carl asked, looking into her eyes.

"What is it kiddo?" she asked.

"Will I… always… be luck… like… this?" he asked.

Michonne's heart broke at the fear in the boy's one remaining eye. She stood and came around the table to him, pulling him to his feet. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into her.

"I don't know Carl" she said honestly, "but either way, no matter what, you will be okay. You will survive and thrive. And no matter what, you'll have your dad, and Judith, and me supporting you. Okay? You're my buddy, I won't let you go through this alone."

Carl sniffled a little and Michonne knew he had shed some tears, so she turned away from him as she let go to give him time to wipe them from his cheek. She knew he didn't want her to see them.

"So I think we're done with therapy for now," Michonne said. "I'm gonna go meet your dad at the church, the big meeting with Hilltop and The Factory is supposed to happen soon, I have to make sure we have enough chairs and water and food for everyone."

"Can… I... come?" Carl asked, taking his time to make sure all of his words were correct.

Michonne was shocked he'd asked. Carl hadn't left her house since they had moved him there a week ago. He'd been too self conscious about his eye to even go out on the front porch, and whenever someone from The Factory came to visit him he'd hide under the bandages and his father's sheriff's hat, most times refusing to speak because of his speech issues.

"Of course you can" Michonne said excitedly, "you really want to?"

"My dad… as-asked… me to… come this murning… morn-morning. I didn't want to. Now I do," Carl explained.

Michonne patted him on the back. "C'mon then, go put your shoes on."

 *****can08writer*****

Rick and members of The Family, Michonne and the Alexandrians, and 10 members of Hilltop all gathered in the church. Although everyone was a little wary of the other groups, the general mood was one of hope that the conflict and adversarial relationship between The Family and everyone else had come to an end.

Rick was overjoyed when Carl arrived with Michonne. Carl was the reason why all of this was happening, and he deserved to see peace more than anyone else.

"I'm glad you came," Rick said to Carl, giving him a hug.

Carl shrugged his shoulders and gave Rick a brief nod. Rick looked over at Michonne and she smiled and winked at him, letting him know Carl was alright.

"Y'all can sit right over there" Rick said, pointing to a few empty chairs close to the front. "We're about to begin."

Rick walked to the front of the church and turned towards the crowd.

"I want to thank you all for being here, whether you had to travel from the Factory, or Hilltop, or if you live here in Alexandria. I want to thank you for having an open mind to peace, and realizing like I have, that working together will create a better more secure future for us all. Before I start, I want to give credit to the person who imagined all of this, my son, Carl."

Carl's head snapped up to look at his father in surprise. He didn't expect to be mentioned.

"Carl told me that sometimes it's nice if everybody wins. He was the one that encouraged me to send that food to the Hilltop when we heard they needed help. Carl is the one that made me realize I needed to make peace here at Alexandria. Carl has been through more than anyone could imagine, yet here he sits to see the beginning of a brighter future."

Before Rick could continue speaking, Michonne began clapping for Carl, joined in by people from The Family. Within seconds he had a standing ovation, and people he didn't even know were clapping him on the back, or patting his shoulder.

Carl, overwhelmed by the attention just nodded, but inside he almost wanted to cry by the acceptance he felt from all of these strangers. This was his first time out and around other people since he was shot, and it was helpful that no one was staring at him in disgust, or making him talk.

Rick continued once everyone was seated again.

"Fair and equitable trade is the only way our communities can all benefit from a partnership. Each of our communities have some things that the others don't and need, making all of us valuable. If we work together, and share our resources, we can get to a place where no one goes without, no one goes hungry, and… and no one group is more important than the others. Without Doctor Denise and Michonne from Alexandria, my son would've died after he'd been shot. Without pain medicine from Hilltop, my son would be in horrible pain right now. Without donations of food from The Factory and Alexandria, Hilltop would be starving. And The Factory and Alexandria have both benefited from Hilltop's food stores. We all need each other. So I now open the floor for anyone who has an idea of how we can make a trade route that will work."

The meeting lasted two hours. Everyone who wanted to contribute was allowed to speak, and by the end of the meeting there was a plan for how and what each community would trade with the others. Once the meeting was over, there was a large community feast outside the church, and Rick was more relaxed than he had been in a long time.

Michonne and Carl were sitting together underneath a tree a small ways away from the larger group of people, each with a plate of food. Rick knew it was because Carl still was anxious about his bandages and having conversations. Michonne was whispering something to him and Carl's cheeks turned slightly red. Rick knew immediately what was going on when he spotted a pretty girl about Carl's age, who was with the people from Hilltop.

Rick, holding his plate of food made his way over to his son and Michonne.

"Hey" Rick said, plopping down in front of the pair.

"Hey back" Michonne said, giving Rick a brilliant white smile that made him freeze for a few seconds in awe. His face turned red and Carl immediately picked up on it, looking at his dad and then Michonne. A small smile played across Carl's lips.

"So what did y'all think about the meeting?" Rick asked.

"I think this is finally going to work" Michonne said, still smiling. She turned to Carl and noticed he was staring off in the direction of the girl. She nudged his shoulder and he jumped a little. "What did you think about the meeting, Carl?"

He shrugged his shoulders and gave a thumbs up sign.

"C'mon, use your words" she said, gently prodding him. Rick knew if he said the same thing Carl might have given him attitude, but Carl wouldn't do that to Michonne.

"It went… great" Carl said, speaking just to humor Michonne.

"Once we set up the trade routes we'll be seeing new faces more often. Maybe you can meet some friends, Carl," Rick said, gesturing in the direction of the group with the girl. "Why don't you go introduce yourself?"

"No. I'm fine," Carl said, utterly embarrassed.

"I was just telling Carl I found out that girl's name is Ella. She seems nice," Michonne cut in.

"Nope. Nope. Nope," Carl said as he got to his feet. "I'm done… oating… eating, I'm gonna p-pick up Judith from the bed… bubble... babysitter... and go home."

Rick laughed that Carl was in such a rush to get away from the two of them, but he also noticed Carl's Aphasia got worse when he was tired. It had been a long day for him. Rick was just glad Carl got out the house.

"Okay son," Rick said.

Carl stood, nodded at them, and made his way back towards the houses.

"How did you get him to come?" Rick asked Michonne.

"I didn't, he just wanted to on his own" she answered, watching Carl who was still in sight.

"Well thank you. I'm glad he has you. You're the only one he'll really talk to about what's going on in his head, and I'm glad he has that. For some reason I piss him off" Rick said shrugging his shoulders, but Michonne knew there was hurt beneath that gesture. She knew Rick wanted to be there for his son just as much as she did.

"He talked to me about that today," Michonne said, crossing her legs to get more comfortable. "He wanted me to tell you that the anger he shows sometimes, it isn't directed towards you. He said he can't help it and he doesn't mean what he says."

"Oh I know" Rick said, "I know those flashes of anger out of nowhere is a result of frustration, and his injury, but I still want him to be able to talk to me about it, y'know?"

"Yea. Yea, I do" Michonne said softly while nodding, "give him time."

Rick and Michonne both looked over at the gathering of people from all three towns. Many people were mixing and mingling, and getting to know new people.

Merle was in loud, raunchy conversation with two women from the Factory, and after one of the women quickly whispered in his ear, Merle put his arms around them both and headed off in a direction devoid of the large crowds.

Aaron and Eric had found another pair of men from Hilltop who seemed to be a couple, and they were talking animatedly.

Carol and Sasha were off to the side by themselves, seemingly watching and observing everyone silently. Spencer approached Sasha and spoke to her briefly as the women stared at him with lack of interest all over their faces. When Spencer finished speaking, the women both walked off, leaving Spencer alone, but within seconds he was off in another direction making his way to another woman who was sitting by herself. Rick shook his head, ' _some people have a one track mind'_ he thought.

Michonne was observing the others as well, and while she was distracted he used the opportunity to study her. He took in how gorgeous her dark skin looked in the bright sunlight. How beautiful she looked with the small smirk on her face as she watched Spencer get rejected by each woman he threw himself at, but undeterred he walked to another one.

Rick loved studying Michonne when she wasn't looking. He'd done it a lot while she was sleeping when Carl was staying at the infirmary. He'd been living with Michonne for weeks now in the same home. The kids loved her dearly, she knew practically everything about him, but since that night she cooked dinner for he and Judith, and they held hands on the couch, nothing further had happened between them.

Rick wanted to take a chance that their relationship could move a little closer than friendship. He had forgiven her for what she'd done concerning Negan, and as much as he'd wanted to dislike her, or hold a grudge since he may never get his revenge on Negan, he couldn't. There was so much about her that he just wholeheartedly loved. He'd been thinking about it for a while, but the relaxing atmosphere and beautiful setting gave him the boost of confidence he needed.

"Michonne" Rick called, and she turned to face him. "I uh, was wondering if, you'd like to spend some time with me, tomorrow, out… outside the house."

"Why? Is there something that needs to be fixed?" Michonne asked, thinking work had to be done somewhere.

"Uh… no. I meant the two of us doing something together that's not work."

Michonne paused for a moment, realization finally taking over.

"You mean like a date? You're asking me out?" She asked with a hint of a smile.

"Only if you're saying yes," Rick replied with a full blown grin.

Michonne tilted her head towards Rick. "Where do you have in mind?" She asked.

"Your backyard?" He asked. "I mean it's literally out of the house, but not too far away. Sasha is here and she said she would go back to retraining Carl to shoot again, I know he wants that badly, so while she's practicing with Carl, Carol can take Judith, and we can have the backyard to ourselves.

"Um… okay, sure. Sounds good" Michonne said.

 *****can08writer*****

For almost three months he'd wandered through the woods, eating wild berries, and animals that occasionally wandered into his traps. Racoons, dogs, rabbits, and coyotes were all on his menu. He'd slept in abandoned houses, caves, or most times holes he dug in the ground. He'd moved from place to place with no destination in mind. No future in mind.

During the day his thoughts were occupied with not being captured by Rick's people. He could see them patrolling the roads, and walking through the woods. He'd hear their vehicles and their footsteps, but they never found him.

At night, his thoughts turned to her, the only other person that really mattered in this world. His thoughts turned to how he'd hurt her by shooting Carl, and how she protected him one last time by letting him go free. She'd chosen Rick, yes, but she obviously cared about _him_. She was the only one who did.

In the beginning he thought he was strong enough to carry on like this, surviving day to day. Doing what had to be done to keep breathing another 24 hours, but to be honest, he was tired. He was tired of living, tired of breathing, tired of looking for food, tired of looking for water, tired of hunting, tired of hurting, tired of moving on. He was done.

He realized he was back in the place he'd been right before he'd met Michonne, and she wasn't going to come back to save him now. He was ready to die, and he'd thought about how he'd do it. Wander into a herd of walkers? Way too painful and dramatic. Jump off a cliff? With his luck he'd survive with broken bones. He couldn't find a gun with bullets to shoot himself, and stabbing himself in the head was way too tricky. He went through all the options that were available to him, and then he thought of one more.

Going back. He'd die, but maybe he'd get to see Michonne one last time. It was a win win situation either way. Negan nodded to himself. That was it, that was his only choice.

Taking only enough water for a one way trip back to Alexandria, Negan headed home to her.

 ** _Author's Note:_** ** _Thank you so much for the reviews and the excitement around this story. It will come to a close in a chapter or two. I appreciate everyone's readership and feedback._**


	14. Chapter 14

_**Author's Note**_ _: Hi everyone! I'm back from a long hiatus on this story, but I was finishing another one of my fics 'Blank Slate.' Now that that's completed, I can go back to this one. I promised to finish all of my fics eventually, and that is one promise I am trying to keep, so please excuse the long breaks in between chapters. Many times I'm waiting for inspiration and great ideas to make the stories even better. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please leave a review. Thank you!_

The sun gently broke through a cloud, and sent a ray of sunlight down on Rick and Michonne's picnic. They sat on a blanket in Michonne's backyard, sipping warm lemonade and eating sandwiches that Michonne had prepared. The two of them sat beside each other, occasionally shooting quick longing glances in each others direction, while trying to keep their conversation going.

"So um… how are things going at the factory?" Michonne asked, taking a sip of her lemonade while pretending a passing ant was more interesting than it really was.

"They're okay. My people are smart, they can function without me. Especially with Carol, Merle, Sasha, and Maggie there to keep an eye on things," Rick declared, glancing at Michonne and then redirecting his eyes down to the blanket.

"You have a lot of faith in them."

Rick nodded. "I do. We've been through so much together, I trust 'em with my life. They've saved my life, lots of times."

"It must be nice," Michonne said somewhat wistfully, "to be that close to people. To have family."

"You have family too," Rick said, answering a little too quickly. He realized the implication of his words and shyly looked down. "I mean… you know… people who care about you." Rick looked up and saw that Michonne was staring at him hopefully. "Carl and I, and Judith… we… we care about you."

Michonne's eyes widened in surprise and a small smile teased her lips.

"I care about you guys too," she replied.

They sat quietly for a few moments more, Michonne rotating her glass of lemonade in her hand, and Rick looking into the distance.

"So once Carl gets better, what are your plans?"

Rick's head snapped to Michonne. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, are you going back to the factory?"

Rick looked like a deer in headlights. He blinked rapidly as if the thought of going home had never crossed his mind.

"I really haven't thought about that yet. I've spent most of my time focused on Carl and what he needs, I just honestly never thought of when I'd come back. I mean, Carl needs to be here for now for his check ups with Dr. Denise, but if she gives him a clean bill of health then I guess that is where we're headed."

"You guess?" Michonne asked, tilting her head. "Isn't the factory your home?"

"I wouldn't call it a home. It's more like a shelter. A safe place for us to rest our heads. We've made it livable, but I've always been a supporter of home is where the heart is."

"And your heart's not there?" Michonne asked hopefully, looking briefly at Rick's nose and then dragging her eyes up to meet his.

"Not right now," Rick replied.

Michonne's eyes slowly moved to his pink lips, almost hidden beneath his beard. They looked juicy, welcoming, but then she remembered something.

"Why do you still wear your ring?" She inquired before lying down on the blanket and propping her head on her hand, watching him intently.

"What?" Rick asked, taken completely off guard. He had been silently hyping himself up to move in and kiss her and he didn't expect that question at all.

"Your wedding ring," Michonne said, gesturing with her chin at the shiny gold band.

"Oh," Rick said, looking down at the band as if surprised to see it there.

"Most days I forget it's even there" he admitted. "Putting it on is a habit that I've done for so long I don't think about it."

He began to twirl the ring around his finger absentmindedly.

"Does it bother you?" He asked, leaning in closer to read her every expression.

"Well, rings usually mean you're unavailable. Isn't that the point?" She asked.

He studied the ring that had been something of a safety net for so long. Lori had been dead for over a year, and even before her death their marriage was barely hanging on. He was using its presence as a shield for his heart, to keep even the prospect of another woman away. But he'd already found another woman without even looking for her. The final step was to get rid of the physical barrier.

"You're right," he agreed. He looked down at the ring, twirled it to loosen it, and then removed it from his finger.

Michonne looked at his finger that had a permanent indent from the ring being there so long.

Rick looked back at Michonne with a smirk. "I'm available."

She smiled, revealing her white teeth.

Rick glanced down at Michonne's lips, and then back up at her beautiful brown eyes. He had been longing to feel those lips on his for a while now, fantasizing about what it would feel like for her to grant him the privilege of kissing her. His stomach fluttered nervously when she shifted her weight closer to him, and rested her glass of lemonade on the blanket.

She stared at his lips too, looking up at him with uncertainty. Taking a chance, Rick leaned forward, making his intentions clear. It was up to her if she wanted to kiss him or not.

Michonne smiled slightly and leaned in to Rick, their lips meeting in the middle. An electrical jolt went through both of their bodies, coaxing a small moan from Michonne's mouth, and making Rick take a breath. Her lips on his felt better than he could have imagined. He felt an immediate soreness in his groin that shocked and embarrassed him.

Michonne was taken aback by how her body responded to Rick's chaste kiss. Once his lips touched hers she immediately wanted more. She needed more.

Her lips parted of their own accord, to allow Rick entrance, and his tongue slipped in, mingling with her own. She moaned again, overwhelmed by the soft warmness that was him.

Rick grunted and leaned in closer to her, his left hand steadying himself on the blanket, as his right hand cupped her cheek, drawing her in more. Michonne's arms wrapped around Rick's waist, slowly caressing his back as she kissed back, nipping and pulling at his lips.

Her enthusiasm turned Rick on, and his pants were unbearably tight. Taking control of the situation, he slowly pushed her down on the blanket, laying on top of her as they continued to kiss. His hands slowly stroked her locs, as he pressed little kisses around her mouth, and then went back in with his tongue.

Michonne was overwhelmed with warmth for this man. His soft kisses, his touch, everything about it was gentle, but she could feel his desire for her through his pants, and through his kisses. She felt the same spark she had felt the first time that he'd touched her. A connection that she'd perceived even when they were enemies. And now that she knew the true him, the connection was even stronger.

"Michonne, I don't want to leave you," Rick said softly, taking a break from kissing her to hiss out that sentence.

Her eyes fluttered open, still love drunk from their heated kiss.

"Huh?" Michonne asked breathlessly.

"No matter what happens, I don't want to leave you," Rick said again. "Whether you want to come back to the Factory, or you want us to stay here. I… I don't want to be far from you."

Michonne smiled and her eyes filled up with tears. "I don't want to leave you either," she whispered. "I don't want you to leave."

"I won't," Rick said, running his fingers down her cheeks. "You're part of this family. We're gonna stay with you, where we belong."

Michonne smiled and reached up, pulling Rick down on top of her again, pulling him in for another kiss.

 *****can08writer*****

"What d-did you and my dad do when i was at prar-get… tar-get practice?" Carl asked, frustratingly blinking when the sentence didn't come out as smoothly as he planned in his head. He sat at the kitchen island and sipped a glass of water.

Carl still had heavy bandages wrapped around his head, but they were mostly concentrated across the healing skin covering his eye, and the lacerations on the right side of his face. The left side of his face was completely uncovered, and he looked the most like himself than he had for the past few months. His speech was also steadily getting better, making Denise believe that practice and speech therapy could eventually get him back to where he used to be.

"Nothing," Michonne said with a shrug, turning to wipe off the kitchen counter, partially to hide her face from Carl. "We just hung out."

Carl paused and tilted his head at Michonne's back with a disbelieving look. "Hung out?" he asked, pointing at an empty carton of powdered lemonade that sat on the counter, "you two drank all the le- lemonade."

"We drank lemonade as we hung out," Michonne replied, still not facing Carl as she put away a few of Judith's sippy cups that were drying next to the sink.

Carl was quiet for a while, and Michonne turned around after he didn't say anything more.

"You okay?" she asked.

Carl looked thoughtful as he ran a finger around the lip of his glass of water.

"I was thinking a-about my mom," Carl said, and Michonne's eyes widened in surprise.

"She don… didn't die t-too long ago. Only as long as Judith is old..."

"I know Carl," Michonne said, inadvertently cutting him off. She immediately felt guilty that she spending time with his dad was making him remember his mom's death.

Carl, ignoring Michonne's interruption, continued. "My mom died to keep Judith a-live. I… I know w… why, she did that."

"Carl…" Michonne said again, about to convince him that she wasn't trying to take his mom's place at all, but Carl held up his hand.

"My mom died so Judith and I c-could live a good life and be ha-happy. We've been through some shitty things…"

"Carl…"

"We have. But there's soo… some-thing that Judith needs that me and e-ven my dad can't give her."

"What's that?" Michonne asked, not sure where Carl was going with this conversation.

"A mom."

Michonne simply stared at Carl, unsure of what to say.

"I had a mom, she was the pen… per-son who tucked me in and s-song… sung to me when Dad was at work. She made food for us and read me... books... at night, and pl- planned all my birth-day parties. My mom was a good mom. I was lake… lucky... to have her before. But Judith needs that too. I'm old e-nough now that I don't need a mom to do those things, but Judith, she n-nev-er got that. Dad, he does some things, but it's d-diff-rent when you have a mom. I want Judith to hold… have that one day like I did, and I think… I think it'd be c-cool, if you could be her mom."

Michonne's mouth opened and closed in shock, still digesting Carl's words.

"You m-make Dad ha-ha-ppy when you're around. He smiles. He isn't so worried about everything alse… else. You're good for him. And… you're my best f-friend. So if you and my Dad… if you decided to be to-geth-er, I just want you to know I would be coo-cool with it. And… so would Judith."

"I… I…" Michonne said, her mouth speaking before her brain could even catch up. Carl had just spoken more sentences at one time than he had since he'd woken up. And she couldn't believe he'd put forth that enormous mental effort just to tell her that he was okay with a relationship between she and his father. She shook her head in gratefulness.

"Thank you Carl," she said softly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and squeezing him tightly.

"And Michonne?" Carl asked, still wrapped in her embrace.

"Yea?"

"Can you or Dad find some more le- lemonade? I really wanted some."

Michonne giggled and pushed Carl away, ruffling his hair. To her surprise there was a bright smile on his face, the first smile she'd seen from him since he'd arrived at Alexandria, the day he was shot.

"I'll find you some more," Michonne said with a smirk.

 *****can08writer*****

Rick, Michonne, Judith, and Carl had just sat down for dinner when there was a rapid knock on the door. Michonne and Rick glanced at each other to make sure neither of them were expecting a visitor. Rick shrugged his shoulder and shook his head, and Michonne headed over to answer her front door. She peeked through the small window in the door and saw that it was Spencer.

"Hey," Michonne said questioningly.

"Michonne, there's an emergency," Spencer said quickly. At those words, Rick stood from the table and headed over to the door to stand behind Michonne.

Spencer's eyes flitted from Michonne to Rick's and then back to Michonne as if he didn't want to speak with Rick there.

"What is it Spencer?" Michonne asked.

"He's back," Spencer said reluctantly.

Michonne paused for a moment and narrowed her eyes.

"Who?" she asked.

"He… he showed up at the gate, with his hands up. He surrendered to us, so we put him in the cell. That's where he is right now," Spencer explained.

"N-Negan?" Rick growled in a mix between anger and disbelief.

"He came back?" Michonne asked, still unable to comprehend Spencer's words.

"He surrendered," Spencer nervously reiterated. "He looks like he's barely hanging on… he didn't cause any troub-"

Rick sprinted out the door, with Michonne on his heels before Spencer could say anything else. As Michonne ran behind Rick, she could feel the murderous energy radiating from him, she could tell he had one thing on his mind, and she wasn't sure if she was following him to stop him or help him.

When they burst through the jail's doors, they were startled by the silence in the room. Negan sat behind bars, being monitored by the Alexandrians on watch duty who had escorted him there. When his escorts saw Michonne enter the jail, they nodded to her and made a swift exit, allowing she and Rick to decide Negan's fate.

When Michonne saw Negan's condition, she gasped.

His tattered, dirty clothes shrouded his skinny body, he was almost swimming in them. He'd lost whatever weight he'd managed to gain living with her in Alexandria. His eyes were sunken in and his cheekbones were jutting out like a man on the verge of starvation. His beard reached half way down his chest, and was littered with dirt and sand and bits of leaves. He was in worse shape than Michonne had ever seen him. Worse than he'd been when he'd saved her in the woods.

Rick's lips curled in a snarl and he raised his gun, but Negan didn't even glance in Rick's direction. His eyes were trained on Michonne, using the last of his dwindling energy to scan her body.

"You're okay," he said to her with a slight nod.

"You son of bitch," Rick growled. "You had the fuckin' balls to come back here? To show your face within 10 miles of this town? I'm gonna shoot you and let you turn. I'm gonna hang your reanimated body from the front gate. I'm gonna cut you apart piece by piece, until all you are is a snapping head!" Rick spat out with a venom that Michonne had never heard leave his mouth before.

"Rick…" Michonne began, but he stepped forward and aimed his gun directly at Negan's chest.

Negan didn't flinch, he just stared into Michonne's eyes. He looked like he was struggling to sit upright in his chair.

"Why did you come back here?" Michonne asked, still in shock.

"I went away, thinking I could leave this place and never come back. I thought I could go off into the forest, maybe find me another group and move on. But I realized I can't. I won't, for lots of reasons. One being that you're here. I've never felt more like a stalker in my goddamn life but I gotta know that you're okay. And second, after what I did to that kid, I just can't rest. I was wrong, I know it, and I came back to make it right. So here I am."

Negan finally directed his eyes towards Rick. "I know what you're gonna do and I'm ready for it. Put me out of my misery, 'cuz that's what I'm in. But tell that kid I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt him. I mean that."

"You're not gonna hurt anyone again," Rick said. "I should've killed you instead of Jesus that night in the woods."

Negan's eyes shifted over to Michonne's. If he was about to die he wanted her eyes to be the last thing he looked at. She was the only thing in the world that he felt an emotional connection to.

Michonne shook her head in pity when Rick cocked his gun. She wanted to stop it, she didn't want to see this, but she'd made a promise to Negan, and to Rick. She wouldn't interfere with what Rick did if Negan came back. She could hear the slight click as Rick adjusted the gun in his hand to prepare to fire. Michonne braced for the bang, when Carl's voice echoed from behind them.

"No!"

Rick and Michonne spun around suddenly, and Negan gasped as his expected death was unexpectedly postponed.

"Carl!" Michonne exclaimed, wondering why he was here instead of home.

"He's mine" Carl growled, his one blue eye narrowed at Negan.


End file.
